Life, Love, and SG1 Year 3
by Jennifer Carter
Summary: Jessie feels like she's losing everything and everyone. Can Jack, Sam, and Landon help?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Not mine, but I do like to play with them. :D

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_My POV_

"Hey, mom?"

"Yeah, angel?"

"What time are you and dad going in tomorrow?"

"About 0800. Why?"

"Just wondering if I should have Cassie pick me up or if you were going to drive me to school," I said, coming out of the bathroom drying my hair.

"We'll drop you off," said mom as she put my clean clothes in my drawers.

"Ok. Don't forget my basketball game tomorrow night," I said.

"1800 hrs right?"

"Yep."

"We'll be there," she said as I crawled into bed. "Did you finish your homework?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Hey, Sunshine," said dad walking in my room.

"Hey, dad," I said with a yawn.

"Tired?" he asked as he sat down on the side of my bed.

"Yeah. Practice was harsh today. But, the final qualifying game is tomorrow and Coach wanted to know that we were ready."

"And are you?"

"Yeah. I think so," I said with another yawn.

"Game starts at 1800, right?"

"Yes, sir." I was so ready for bed. They finally got the hint and both leaned down to kiss and hug me goodnight.

"Night, Sunshine," said dad. "I love you."

"Night, dad," I said. "I love you too."

"Night, honey," said mom. "I love you."

"Night, mama," I said softly. "I love you too," I added with a yawn.

They left the room and I gradually fell asleep, dreaming of our team going to the state finals.

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_The next night_

"Great game, guys," said the coach.

I didn't care. We'd won, but for me it didn't matter. They showed up late. They showed up with ten minutes left and I didn't care anymore. They had only been to two games the whole season. Most of the ones they'd missed were because they were off-world. But, there were a few important games they'd missed because they'd forgotten. They'd gotten busy at the base and had completely forgotten me. This was probably one of those times. I gave up. I couldn't do it anymore.

I slammed my locker shut after my shower and walked out of the locker room. It was 20° outside still, but I was wearing nothing but a tank top and a pair of shorts. It being Friday night, there was a party after the game at Caleb's house. I hadn't planned on going, but since mom and dad had shown up late, I was going. I walked out of the gym and saw mom and dad running towards me.

"Jessie!" screamed dad.

I turned around and met dad's eyes with mine. I ignored them and got in the car with Caleb. "Drive," I said.

"But, your parents…" he said.

"I don't care," I said. "Just get me out of here." I was trying to keep in the tears. The pain in my chest was overwhelming. I couldn't breathe it hurt so much.

"What's wrong, Jessie?" He parked the car in front of my freaking house and helped me out. We sat on the porch and wrapped his arms around me. He was like my older brother.

"They promised," I said. "They promised they'd be there." I couldn't hold the tears in any longer.

"Who promised?" he asked, stroking up and down my back.

"My parents. They said they'd be there and they weren't." I held on to him and cried, not noticing that mom and dad had pulled up and were standing in front of me.

"They showed up, Jessie," he said. "They were there."

"Ten minutes left in the game, Caleb. Ten fucking minutes," I said.

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_Jack's POV_

We'd missed her game. Damn it. Sam had called the school at 1200 to let her know that we had to go off-world for a few hours. We had hoped we'd be back in time for her game. But, we both knew it wasn't likely. We hated the SGC at the point in time for making us disappoint our daughter…for hurting our daughter.

We had time to get our physicals and a shower before we broke every traffic law to get to the school gym. We got there for the last ten minutes of the game. We watched Jessie make the winning three-pointer. But, we'd missed the rest of the game. I knew she'd be upset. I knew she'd be angry. But, I wasn't prepared for pain I saw in her eyes when I called her name. She was hurt…extremely hurt.

She jumped in the car with Caleb and they took off. We knew Caleb would probably take her home so we took our time, letting Caleb talk some sense into her. I knew she wouldn't talk to us right then. Maybe after she calmed down a bit.

We parked the truck and walked up to the porch. Caleb was holding Jessie in his arms.

"They promised," said Jessie. "They promised they'd be there." I could hear the pain in her voice.

"Who promised?" asked Caleb.

"My parents. They said they'd be there and they weren't!"

"They showed up, Jessie. They were there."

"Ten minutes left in the game, Caleb. Ten fucking minutes."

Caleb looked up and saw us standing there. I motioned for him to move and, when he had, I took his place and Sam sat down on the other side.

She looked up and saw me sitting there. "Leave me alone," she said, standing and running into the house.

"Sir…" began Caleb.

"Go home, Caleb. We'll take care of this," said Sam.

"But…"

"Go," I said, leaving no room for argument.

He left quickly and Sam and I went into the house. I could hear Jessie crying in her room. "Every fucking time!" We could hear the pain in her voice and it tore me up inside.

We opened her door and saw her lying on her bed crying her eyes out.

"Jessie…" I began.

"You promised! You lied to me!"

"Baby, we're sorry. We called the school and…" said Sam.

"Leave me alone! It's something you're good at," she said softly and, using her powers, slammed the door shut and locked it.

I pulled my keys out as we listened to her sob. That was the final straw. I couldn't keep disappointing Jessie and keep my sanity. It hurt too damned much to see her in such pain.

I unlocked her door and we saw she was still on her bed, but sound asleep, tears still streaming down her face. "You promised," she whispered in her sleep. I sat down on her bed and stroked her hair. She opened her tear-filled blue eyes and looked at me. "You promised."

"I know, Sunshine. You didn't let your mom finish earlier. We called the school at 12:00 to let you know we had to go off-world for a few hours. We really thought we'd be back."

"Let me guess. You found some type of technology that either you or Uncle Danny just _had _to play with," said Jessie bitterly.

"No, honey. They actually were pretty primitive. They tried to take us hostage. We fought back and in the process, Uncle Daniel was hurt," said Sam.

Jessie's face crumbled and she rolled away from us. "I'm sorry," she whispered. I could tell she was ashamed of her behavior. I wasn't though. I knew how much she wanted us there.

"Jessie, look at me," I said softly as I turned her over. "Don't ever apologize for being yourself. I know you're hurt that we missed your game. I know how much that game meant for you."

She sat up and wiped at her eyes. "It's not the game, dad. I…I wanted you and mama to be proud of me for doing something on my own," she whispered tearfully.

I pulled her into my arms and squeezed her. "We _are _proud of you, Sunshine. I don't think there have _ever _been two parents more proud of their child. After everything you went through, you're a straight-A student; you play basketball, softball, soccer, and hockey; you're on the debate team and student council; and you fight the Goa'uld. We couldn't be more proud of you if you were perfect…which – in my opinion – you are."

I handed her off to Sam and let Sam hug her. "Jack's right, honey. You've got to know that we tried our best to get there tonight and that we didn't want to be anywhere else but with you."

Jessie started to cry again. Sam rocked her back and forth, slowly rocking her to sleep. "Why does this hurt so much?" asked Jessie softly. "I should be used to this."

"Used to what, Sunshine?" I asked.

"Being let down. I'm used to being let down," she said as she closed her eyes.

"Not by us, you're not," I said. "Since we found you, we've tried not to break _any _of our promises to you." I ran my fingers through my hair. "And it seems that that's all we're doing lately."

"Maybe I should just quit the team," she mumbled.

"What? Why?" asked Sam.

She opened her eyes and looked at us with such sadness that my heart actually stopped beating for a second or two. "Because I'm _supposed_ to be on SG-1. I'm supposed to be there with you when you go off-world. It's the sports that are keeping me from being there when I should be."

"No, Jessie. You're only fourteen. You're a kid who needs to be a kid," I said. "You should be at school, playing sports and just having fun."

"But…"

"No, buts, Sunshine. Saving the world is important. But, you being happy is even more so to me and your mom."

"Really?" she asked. I guess she was surprised. She knew how much Sam and I loved our jobs. But, I guess she felt that she came in second after the SGC.

"Really. You are our number one priority. Saving the world is secondary," said Sam.

I could see the tension seep out of her body as what we'd told her sank in. I knew then we were going to be ok.

Sam started rocking her again and, this time, Jessie allowed her mother to put her to sleep. Sam laid her down and we both kissed her goodnight.

As we entered our bedroom, I thought of ways to make it up to Jessie. "Sam?"

"Hmm?"

"What would you say if I retired again? You know…became a full-time dad?"

She put her hand on my arm and stopped me. "Jack? What brought this up?" she asked.

"I'm just tired of disappointing Jessie," I said. "Maybe if I retired again…"

"That's not gonna solve anything, dad," said a voice from behind me.

I jerked around and saw Jessie standing in our doorway. I motioned for her to come in. She walked in, moving a little stiffly.

"But, if I retired, I could spend all my time with you. I'd never miss a game and we wouldn't have to go through another night like tonight," I said, pulling her onto my lap.

She laid her head on my shoulder and sighed. "You'd hate it within a week. Then you'd hate me," she said softly. "You need to stay in the Air Force." She yawned. "Still have to fight the Goa'uld."

Sam sat down beside us and kissed Jessie's forehead. Jessie gave her a sleepy smile. "She's right, Jack. You'd hate retirement within a week."

Jessie yawned again. "Two against one, dad. You lose," she said with a giggle.

"No giggling," I said tickling her. She squirmed, squealed, and then cried out in pain. I stopped immediately. "What? What's wrong?"

She shook her head. "Nothing. I got elbowed in the game tonight. Kinda bruised."

"Let me see," said Sam.

"Mom…it's just a bruise."

"Jessie…" I began, a warning in my voice for her not to argue.

"Oh alright," she said. She laid down on her right side and let Sam lift her t-shirt up.

"Baby, this looks bad," I said, staring at the large black and blue bruise marring my daughter's skin.

"I've had worse," she mumbled. "I'm ok. I'm just a little stiff."

"Well, I'd feel better if Aunt Janet checked you out to make sure nothing's broken," said Sam.

"Mommmm," she whined.

"Jessie," Sam whined back. "Don't argue with me."

"Yes, ma'am," she said with a sigh.

"Get some clothes on and we'll go," I said as she stood up and walked into her room. A few minutes later, she came back out and said she was ready to go. She looked extremely tired and she was shivering.

I wrapped a blanket around her and carried her to the truck. "I can walk, dad."

"I know," was all I said. I sat her on Sam's lap and drove away.

When we got the SGC and signed in, Jessie was already half asleep. I knew she was hurting, but as usual, she refused to show it.

"Everything ok, sir?" asked the airman at the checkpoint.

"Yes."

"Dad, put me down. I can walk," said a very sleepy Jessie.

"I know, but you're hurting…and don't try to deny it," I said.

"Wasn't going to," she mumbled against my shoulder.

I grinned at Sam who was trying not to laugh. "Contact Dr. Fraiser and have her meet us at the infirmary," I said to the airman.

"Yes, sir."

By the time we made it to the infirmary, Jessie was asleep again. As I laid my sleeping daughter on the infirmary bed, Janet entered – followed by a sleepy Daniel.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"What happened?" asked Janet.

"She got hurt in the game tonight," said Sam as Jessie opened her eyes again.

"I'm alright. It's just a bruise," she said with a yawn.

"Let me be the judge of that," said Janet. "You know the drill." She handed Jessie an infirmary gown and motioned for her to get changed.

"Napoleonic powermonger," muttered Jessie. I laughed out loud. Jessie was shorter than Janet! Boy, did that bring back memories.

"Wonder where she got that from?" hissed Janet.

"Couldn't tell ya," I said with a smirk.

"You guys could leave while I change," said Jessie.

"Ok, ok," said Sam. She kissed Jessie's forehead and frowned as Janet pulled the curtain shut. "She's got a fever."

"We'll check that in a minute," said Janet.

"Now, what happened?" asked Daniel.

"She said she was elbowed in the ribs at the game," I said softly.

"Who won?"

"Stevenson's," said Sam. "We got there with ten minutes left in the game."

"Jessie scored the winning three-pointer," I added with no small amount of pride.

"I'm ready," said Jessie with a cough.

We waited impatiently while Janet checked on Jessie. I knew the bruise was bad. Hell, it covered most of her side.

Janet came back out. "I'm sending her to x-ray. She's running a slight fever so I've given her some _Tylenol_." She motioned for a male nurse to roll Jessie out in a wheelchair to x-ray. I thought I caught a glimmer of fear in Jessie's eyes as they passed. But, as soon as I saw it, it was gone. I mentally shrugged it off.

Several minutes later, we heard shouts and screams coming from the room where Jessie had been taken. We took off at a run. When we opened the door, the first thing we saw was the nurse against the wall, held by something invisible. Jessie was cowering on the floor, trembling with fear.

"Sunshine, what's wrong?"

"I wanna go home," she whispered as the nurse fell to the floor. Sam rushed to her side.

I looked up at him. "What did you do to her?" I demanded, grabbing him by the collar of his lab coat.

"Nothing! I tried to help her get on the table and she freaked out!" he spat.

"You don't touch her!" yelled Sam. "Nobody touches her without her permission! You've been here long enough to know that!" We were both so pissed.

Everyone knew that you didn't touch Jessie unless she gave you her express permission. Even after all this time, she would freak out or freeze up if a stranger touched her in any way. All new recruits were told not to touch her without permission. They were told during their orientation by me, Sam, Janet, Daniel, Teal'c, and General Hammond. During their off-world orientation with the Tok'ra, this was reiterated by Jacob, Selmak, and Malek.

"Get out," said Janet.

The young Lieutenant haughtily made his way out of the x-ray lab. At the doorway, he turned back. "My father will hear about this," he said.

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Sam holding Jessie closely.

"His father is Senator Rheinhold," said Janet.

"Shit. One of Kinsey's friends," I said watching Sam and Jessie.

"Come on, honey," said Sam softly. "Let's get you checked out."

She gently took Jessie by the arm and helped her stand.

"Mama?"

"I'm here, honey," said Sam. "So is dad."

"I'm cold," she whispered and sneezed.

"Let's get you x-rayed and then we'll get you warmed up," I said softly, not wanting to spook Jessie any more than she'd already been spooked.

Together, Sam and I got her up on the exam table and left the room while Janet took the x-rays. Suddenly, Jessie's body began to glow. It reminded me of how her hands glowed when she healed someone. She was healing herself. It was amazing to watch and, yet at the same time, frightening.

We rushed back in as the glow died down. Jessie's eyes were closed in sleep, the only sounds from the lab were the machines and my daughter's steady breathing. Janet lifted her gown and we saw that her bruise was indeed gone.

"Wow," said Sam.

"Yeah," I said in agreement. It was amazing. The large bruise from earlier was completely gone. She was still trembling, but was resting peacefully.

"Mama?" Jessie slowly opened her eyes.

"I'm here. You ok?"

"What happened? I feel completely drained," she said with a yawn.

"We think you healed yourself," I said taking her hand in mine. "I guess you're tired because it's the first time you've done it."

"Oh. Can we go home now?"

"I don't see why not," said Janet. "But, I want to take those x-rays just to make sure. Ok?"

"Yes, ma'am," said Jessie as she closed her eyes in resignation.

"We'll be right outside, Sunshine," I said before kissing her forehead.

"Please don't leave me, mama," she whispered as she grabbed Sam's hand. Damnit. She was terrified of being alone.

"Here, Sam." Janet handed her a heavy protective gown and I helped her put it on. I stepped behind the screen and Janet started the x-ray.

Jessie was stone-still while she was getting x-rayed. She hated the infirmary. She once told us she felt like a lab rat or a pin cushion every time she was in the infirmary.

Once it was over, she closed her eyes in relief. Sam lifted her from the bed and took her back to the room where her clothes were. We were standing outside the curtain while she dressed, when General Hammond walked in.

"Jack."

"General."

"Where is Jessie?" he asked.

"In here, Grandpa George," came a muffled voice from behind the curtain.

"When she's finished, I need the four of you in my office. I just got off the phone from a _very _irate Senator Rheinhold," he said before leaving the infirmary. He didn't like to see Jessie in there any more than we did.

We heard a gasp from Jessie and Janet opened the curtain. Jessie was sitting on the bed, her face white as the sheet, and her eyes were tightly shut. We could see her body trembling in fear. Sam and I rushed over to her and Sam gathered her in her arms.

"M…m...mama," stuttered Jessie.

"Shhh, honey. I'm here," whispered Sam.

"He wants me gone," whispered Jessie.

"Who?'

"That lieutenant."

"Why?"

"I don't know," she whispered again as I stroked her hair.

"It's ok, Sunshine. I'm not gonna let him hurt you," I said as Sam rocked her to sleep. Healing herself took more out of her than she would ever admit.

I picked her up out of Sam's lap and carried her into General Hammond's office. "Come."

Sam opened the door to find the General pacing behind his desk. "Reporting as ordered, sir," said Sam.

He stopped his pacing and saw Jessie's pale face buried in my shoulder. "She's just sleeping, sir. She finally healed herself and it wiped her out."

"Ah. Have a seat."

We both sat down, me sitting slowly so I wouldn't wake Jessie.

"I just received a phone call from Senator Rheinhold. He's scheduled a hearing tomorrow morning to discuss Jessie's future with the SGC."

"Excuse me, sir. What do you mean her future?" asked Sam.

"Because Jessie wounded his son's pride, he wants Jessie gone. He said that even with her unique abilities, she should not be part of the SGC, much less SG-1."

"Jessie's the only reason we're alive right now," I said angrily.

"I know. He doesn't see it that way. He sees a teenage girl who has no business being on a military base like the SGC," said Hammond.

"What do we need to do?" I asked resigned.

"Keep her calm and safe. Have her here at 0900 hrs ready to fight."

"We will, sir," said Sam.

"One more thing. Senator Kinsey will be here."

"Why?" demanded Sam.

"He's determined to take over custody of Jessie. If he can prove that her talents are being wasted here, he will take her."

"Over my dead body," I said vehemently.

"Sir, Jessie has uncovered plots against the President, earth, and our allies," said Sam. I could hear the fear in her voice, even if General Hammond couldn't.

"I know. That may be the only thing that will save her."

He cleared his throat. "Now. Take her home and keep her safe."

"Yes, sir," we said together.

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_Sam's POV_

I was actually terrified of what was going to happen the next day. If I knew anything about Kinsey, it was he was ruthless. He didn't care who he had to hurt in order to get his way. Even in her sleep, Jessie knew something was going on. She whimpered the whole way home. There was no way in hell that Kinsey was taking her away from us.

"Mama?" Her small voice was husky with sleep.

"Shh, I'm here. Go back to sleep," I said softly, holding her just a little bit tighter.

"I'm scared."

"I know, baby. So am I."

"He wants to experiment on me like Simmons," she whispered.

Jack reached over and took her hand. "We're not gonna let that happen, Sunshine."

"If Kinsey wins tomorrow…"

"He won't, Jessie. General Hammond is _not _gonna let that bastard take you away from us. The _President _won't let that happen. Hell, Thor won't let that happen," said Jack.

I held Jessie as she started to cry. She was so scared of someone experimenting on her. Even though she loved Janet, she was still scared of her.

Jack held her hand all the way home, lending his own support to our distraught daughter. She silently cried the whole way home. I didn't know how to help her. I knew that if it came down to it, we would leave Colorado Springs. Where would we go? It didn't really matter. All that mattered was Jessie would be safe and we would be together.

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Sorry it's taken so long to update. Bad case of writer's block on both stories. Hopefully, it's gone. 


	2. Fear

Disclaimer: Not mine. although I really like playing with them. Sorry it's taken so long to update. The hurricanes really screwed up everything. Lost several chapters because of Rita. Had to evacuate. No power or water for 10 freaking days. Sheesh. Well, here's chapter 2. Hope you like.

_Sam's POV_

"Mama?"

"Shh…go back to sleep, Jessie. You've had a hard day," said Jack as he laid her in her bed.

"Don't wanna sleep," she murmured.

I sat down beside her. "Why not?"

"If I don't sleep, I won't have to wake up and face _them_ tomorrow," she said with a yawn.

Ah. She was scared of Kinsey. I'd seen her face Goa'uld and not blink. But, here she was, terrified of a human who wanted to experiment on her.

"They won't hurt you, honey," I said, gathering her into my arms.

"Yes, they will. If they win, they will," she said shakily. She sat up and wrapped her arms around her raised knees.

"Sunshine, look at me," said Jack. When she did, he continued. "Grandpa George won't let them take you. Neither will Grandpa Jacob," he said, pushing her hair away from her eyes.

"They can't stop Kinsey, dad. He's a Senator. He's too powerful."

"Then we'll go to Thor," he said.

She shivered at the mention of the little gray alien. Looking away from us, she lowered her face to her knees.

"Hey," I said softly, putting my hand on the back of her head. "What's wrong?"

"He…he scares me," she whispered.

"Who?"

"Thor."

"Why? He's a friend, Sunshine," said Jack. "He won't hurt you. He's sworn to protect you."

"He's still Asgard," she choked out.

So, that's what it was. The Asgard had taken her away from us before. She apparently had an innate fear of it happening again.

I looked at Jack in shock as Jessie got out of bed and walked to the bay window in her room.

"Jessie, Thor would _never _hurt you. He may be an Asgard, but he knows that your mom and I would kill _anyone _who tried to hurt you again," said Jack vehemently.

I heard her sigh deeply. "Does that include those two sitting outside?" she whispered.

We both ran to the window to see what she was talking about. Sure enough, there was an unmarked car sitting about a block from the house. We could just make out the silhouettes of two large men in the front seat.

"Jessie, get some clothes ready. We're going to the base," said Jack. "Sam, help her and I'll get some things from our room."

Silently and methodically, Jessie and I put some clothes in her backpack. I grabbed her laptop and we met Jack at the bottom of the stairs. We silently made our way to the garage where Jack had parked the truck when we got home. Jessie sat between us, gripping my hand tightly. The last time we were in this position (running) was the morning she was shot. I could tell from the look on her face (eyes clenched shut; breath coming in gasps) that she was remembering also.

I withdrew my hand from hers and wrapped my arms around her. "Easy, angel. You're safe and you're gonna stay that way," I whispered, kissing the top of her head.

"Why?" she whispered angrily.

"Why what?" asked Jack as he sped towards the mountain.

"Why does this shit keep happening to me? Who did I piss off in a past life?"

"Oh, honey," I said, holding her tighter.

"No. I really wanna know," she said. "Who did I piss off that much?" She was turning her fear into anger. Good. She was going to fight. "It's not fair!"

"I know, Sunshine. If we could change it, you know we would," said Jack.

She mumbled something that we didn't quite catch. "What?" I asked.

"Sometimes I wish I'd never been born," she said just above a whisper.

Jack's knuckles turned white as he gripped the steering wheel. I tightened my arms around Jessie.

"Why would you say something like that?"

"Because it's true. If I hadn't been born, none of this stuff would've happened. It's too much for me to deal with."

"It's too much for anyone to deal with, honey. But, in all honesty, you're my hero."

She snorted at that.

"I'm serious, Jessie. You've survived so much and you still find the good in people."

"Then why do I let things like this scare me so much?"

"Because you're still a kid, Jessie," said Jack. "You shouldn't have to deal with things like this. You're only fourteen and you've seen, and done, more in that short time than most will ever see in their entire lives." He reached over and squeezed Jessie's hand. "I love you, Sunshine."

She took a shuddering breath. "I love you too, daddy," she whispered softly. She looked up at me. "You too, mama."

I kissed her forehead. "I love you too, little bit."

She snorted at the nickname. I kissed her again and felt the tension slowly seep out of her small body. She always seemed smaller to me when she was like this.

She was asleep by the time we got to the base. Jack carried her inside and placed her on the bed. It had been a while since we'd had to sleep there, but the sheets were still washed weekly. After laying her on the bed, Jack moved to her phone.

"Jack?"

"Calling Hammond."

I tucked Jessie in and laid her bear next to her. She mumbled something and rolled over on her side, throwing her arm around her bear. I pushed her hair away from her face and kissed her temple.

"Sleep, honey," I whispered.

Jack hung up the phone and sat down on the bed. "Hammond said he hadn't ordered anyone to follow us home."

My heart stopped. "Kinsey."

"Yep. I'm gonna kill him, Sam," he said. "He's already tried to kill her once." He laid down behind her and wrapped his arms around her. "I can't lose her, Sam. Not again…not ever."

"We won't, Jack," I said running my fingers through his short hair. "Come on. Let's change her codes and get some sleep ourselves. I've got the feeling we're going to have a long day tomorrow."

Every time we slept at the base, we changed the security codes to her quarters. That way, no one could get to her but us. We were the only ones who had access to Jessie's quarters. We – all of us – would kill to keep her safe.

After Jack kissed her, Jessie shivered. I felt her forehead and realized she still had a little fever.

"Hang on, Jack. You change her codes while I get her some _Tylenol_. She still has a fever," I said, walking to her bathroom.

Getting the medicine and a cup of water, I made my way back out to my daughter. Jack was trying to change her codes while I gently shook her awake.

"Jessie, honey, wake up."

She moaned. "Leave me 'lone. I'm sleeping here," she mumbled.

I chuckled softly. "Come on, angel. You need to take this medicine."

She opened her eyes and gave me a sleepy grin. "Mama?"

"You've still got a little fever. I want you to take this and then you can go back to sleep," I said.

"Finished," said Jack. He walked back over to us and helped her sit up. She took the pills and Jack laid her back down. "Get some sleep, Sunshine. We're gonna be right next door if you need anything, ok?" he asked, stroking her hair away from her forehead.

"Ok, dad," she said with a yawn. She rolled over and., in minutes, was sound asleep again.

We watched her sleep for a few minutes before going to our own quarters. We changed our clothes and crawled into bed.

"Sam?"

"Hmm?"

"Hammond said he'd contacted the Tok'ra and your dad."

"Good."

"He also said he'd contacted Thor and Bratac."

"Why Thor and Bratac?" I asked.

I felt him shrug as he pulled me into his arms. "Show of force, I guess." He yawned. "I think he wants Kinsey to see what he's dealing with. He doesn't realize that Jessie is important to four races."

"Four?"

"Humans, Tok'ra, Jaffa, and Asgard," he said, yawning again.

"Oh," I said, turning over to kiss my husband goodnight. "I love you, Jack."

"I love you too, Sam."

I rolled back over and felt Jack spoon against me. "Goodnight, Jack," I said softly.

"Goodnight, sweetheart."

TBC


	3. Confrontation

Not mine. Promise to put them back when I'm finished playing with them. Please review me.

_My POV_

I woke up the next morning without opening my eyes. I got up, having to go to the bathroom, but was too comfortable to move. I knew mom and dad were sitting on my bed, watching me.

"What?" I said.

"Open your eyes, Sunshine," said dad.

"No," I sneezed.

"Why not, honey?" asked mom.

"If I don't open my eyes, I won't have to wake up and face those people today," I whispered.

"You don't really believe that, do you?" asked dad.

"No, but it was worth a shot," I said, finally opening my eyes. They were both sitting on my bed.

I stretched, sneezed again, and got out of bed. "Where're you going?" asked dad.

"Bathroom," I said.

I did my thing, washed my hands and went back into the bedroom/living room. They were still sitting there, watching me.

"What?" I asked, sneezing again.

"I'm hungry," said dad. "I was thinking cake."

I cocked my eyebrow at him. "Cake for breakfast, dad? What would Aunt Janet say?" I said with a grin, then sneezed again.

He shrugged. "She'd probably get the needles after you, Jack," said mom.

"True," he said.

I sat down heavily on the bed. I would rather have Aunt Janet be after me with her needles than have to face Kinsey and his crew.

"Sunshine?"

I shook my head. "Nothing."

"Not nothing," said mom. "What's wrong?"

"I'm scared."

"I know," said dad. "But, Thor, Bratac, Malek, and Grandpa Jacob are gonna be there. They're not gonna let anything happen to you."

"It still doesn't make me feel any better," I said, cuddling up to mom as she wrapped her arms around me.

She kissed the top of my head as I sneezed slightly. "Everything is going to be fine, honey. We're going in there armed and if they try anything, they're going to end up like Pete."

"Believe in us, Sunshine. We're not gonna let anything happen to you."

"I know," I whispered, tears filling my eyes. I was terrified they were going to win and that I was going to be experimented on.

"Now, let's go get something to eat," said dad, pulling me out of mom's arms and off the bed.

"Umm…dad?"

"Hmmm?"

"I'm not going to the commissary in my pj's," I said with a grin.

"Oh…ok," he said giving me a hug and leaving the room so I could get dressed. I put on my jeans and a long-sleeved t-shirt that had _Be Kind to Dragons for thou art crunchy when roasted and taste good with ketchup,_ emblazoned across the front. Dad thought that shirt was hilarious.

I finished dressing and made my way into their quarters. They were sitting on the couch waiting for me.

"You ready?" asked dad.

"Yes, sir," I said, looking down.

I heard them both get up and walk towards me. "Jessie, honey, look at me," said mom.

I looked up at her and gave her a forced smile. "I'm ok," I whispered.

"Yes, you are. You're gonna be fine. And your dad and I are going to be in there the whole time…no matter what anybody says."

"I know," I said. "But, I've just got this feeling that something's gonna happen." I started wringing my hands together, trying to still the slight tremble that had taken residence.

I still wouldn't look up. I couldn't meet their eyes. I didn't want them to see how scared I actually was. Something bad was going to happen at that meeting. I didn't know what or to whom it would happen. But, something was going to happen.

I felt dad wrap his arms around me as mom wrapped hers around me from behind. "We'll protect you, Sunshine," said dad. "I promise."

"I know," I said. The tense moment was interrupted by someone's stomach growling. Hell, it was probably mine.

Mom chucked and kissed the back of my head while dad kissed my forehead. I felt like I was surrounded by two giants. Even though my parents were both tall (dad was 6'2" and mom was 5'9"), I was short. I hated being short.

"You ready to eat?" asked dad, brushing my hair out of my eyes.

"Yes, sir," I said with a small smile.

"Let's go campers," he said, turning around so I could jump on his back. I wrapped my arms around his neck as he grabbed my legs.

We continued this way until we got to the infirmary. Mom wanted Aunt Janet to give me some more cold medicine. Even though I'd physically healed my wounds from the game, for some reason, colds were immune to my powers.

* * *

_Mom's POV_

Jessie was terrified. We both could see it. She was still sick from last night. I knew she'd been fighting a cold for about three days, but it hit her full-blast last night. I wanted Janet to give her some more medicine before we went to the commissary for breakfast.

"Hey, guys," said Janet, moving things out of Jack's reach.

"Hey, doc. Can you give Jessie some more cold medicine? She's sneezed about fifty times this morning," said Jack.

"Not fifty times, dad," said Jessie, muffling her voice in Jack's BDU shirt. "Only about five."

"Still…five times too many," I said.

"Sit her down, Jack," said Janet. We watched as Janet took Jessie's blood pressure and temperature. "It's still a little high," she said.

"How high?" I asked.

"102̊," muttered Janet.

"Sheesh, Sunshine. When you get sick, you _really _get sick," said Jack, wrapping his arms around her.

"I know, I know," she muttered.

"What were you planning on having for breakfast?" Janet asked her.

"Not really hungry," she said.

"Well, I want you to eat something. Even if it's just some oatmeal," said Janet in her no-nonsense doctor's voice. She knew Jessie didn't like oatmeal, but even if we had to force-feed her, she was going to eat.

"Yes, ma'am," mumbled Jessie.

"Good. Take this," she handed Jessie a glass of water and some cold medicine. "I want you to drink plenty of juice today and _try _to stay in your quarters."

"Umm…Janet. We've got that thing with Kinsey this morning," I said.

"Can I give him my cold?" asked Jessie with a grimace as she took the medicine.

"Nope. We're not gonna let you get that close to him," said Jack with a chuckle.

The phone to the infirmary rang and Janet went to answer it. She listened for a few seconds and then hung up. Turning back to us, she took a deep breath. "Kinsey's here. He's ready for you," she said.

"Not until Jessie gets something to eat," said Jack, turning around so Jessie could jump on his back.

"Colonel…"

"Nope. She's gonna eat something before we go in there. If they call back, we're in the commissary."

"I was just going to say that I agree with you," said Janet, giving Jack a miffed look.

"Sorry, doc," he said sheepishly. He turned and, motioning for me to follow them, walked out of the infirmary. I walked behind my husband and daughter. Jessie had her head on Jack's shoulder and, from where I was, looked like she was falling asleep again.

"Jessie?"

"Hmmm?"

"Are you ok?"

"Yeah, mom. I'm just tired," she said, turning her head to look at me. She reached one hand out and I took it, giving her a slight squeeze.

"That medicine making you sleepy, Sunshine?" asked Jack.

"Yeah, dad."

"Well, we'll eat, go to that stupid meeting, and then you can go back to sleep," he said.

"Wish we could skip the first two parts and go right to the third," she said with a yawn.

"I know, honey," I said, kissing her hand. "It'll all be over soon."

"I hope so," she mumbled, laying her head back down on Jack's shoulder.

"Jack!"

We stopped at the doors to the commissary and watched Daniel and Teal'c approach. "Yes, Daniel?"

"Kinsey's here and they're ready," he said, noticing that Jessie was almost asleep. "You ok, honey?" he asked.

"I'm sleepy, Uncle Danny. Aunt Janet gave me some medicine that makes me sleepy," she said yawning again.

"We're getting her some breakfast before we go to that meeting," I said, pushing Jessie's long hair out of her eyes.

"We were sent to get you and your family, O'Neill," said Teal'c.

"Well, Janet told her to eat something before the meeting and she actually outranks all of us in that department," I said.

"Tell that to Kinsey," said Daniel.

Jack growled and pushed open the door to the commissary. Walking over to our regular table, he sat Jessie down and went to get her some breakfast. She put her head on the table where it was cool. I reached over and touched her forehead. She was still hot. She closed her eyes and groaned.

"What?"

"Nothing. Just wanna go back to bed," she said. "Wanna forget this day ever happened."

"I know, honey. But, you need to eat and then it will all be over."

She shivered. "Want me to get you a blanket?" asked Daniel, clearly worried about his "neice".

"No. I'm fine." She shivered again.

"Bullshit," said Jack, setting the food in front of us. "Orb a blanket, Sunshine. You know you get cold when you have fever."

She sighed and muttered, "Blanket."

The normal white lights appeared and then her _Colorado Avalanche _blanket appeared. I wrapped it around her and we watched as she ate her bacon and eggs. I know I was too nervous to eat, but I did anyway. It took all of my willpower to keep it down. From the look on Jack's face, he was having the same problem.

Once her food was gone and she finished her juice, Jack started to pick her up as Daniel put our trays away.

"Colonel O'Neill!" A very angry-looking Senator Kinsey stormed through the double doors of the commissary.

"What?" said Jack, not even looking up. We were both concerned with how pale Jessie looked.

"Where in the hell have you been? We've been waiting for almost an hour!"

"Right here, making sure my daughter had something to eat," he said.

Kinsey turned redder than before. "I demand that we get this meeting underway!"

Jessie was trembling by now. She whimpered and said, "mama."

"It's ok, honey," I said, reaching for her.

Kinsey knocked my hand out of the way and reached for Jessie. "Come with me, now!"

Before we could get to her, she orbed out. "Where'd she go?" he demanded.

"Get out!" yelled Daniel as Jack and I took off for her quarters. We left Daniel and Teal'c to deal with Kinsey.

We passed several SF's at a full run towards the commissary. I didn't know why. I didn't care why. All I cared about was finding my daughter as fast as possible.

We burst into her quarters and found her in the bathroom, bent over the toilet, violently throwing up. I ran over to her and held her hair out of the way as she vomited. Eventually, her stomach was empty and she ended up with the dry-heaves.

Jack got her some water to rinse out her mouth. She did and spit into the toilet. "I wanna go home," she sobbed.

I gathered her in my arms and rocked her slowly. "I know, honey. I want to take you home. But, we're going to protect you…I promise."

I kept rocking her until her sobs quieted and her trembling ceased. I maneuvered her where I could see her face. She'd fallen asleep in my arms.

"Come on, Sam. Let's get her back into bed," said Jack softly, not wanting to wake her. "They'll just have to do this _meeting _without her." She was physically and emotionally exhausted. He helped me to stand with Jessie in my arms. Even after all this time, she was still light.

I laid her down and we both sat on her bed, watching her sleep. I brushed her hair off her forehead and kissed her gently. "I'm scared, Jack," I whispered. "What if Kinsey can actually take her away from us?"

"That will happen over my dead body," said Jack vehemently. A knock at the door kept me from replying. Jack stood and opened the door, letting Daniel in.

"What?" he asked.

"It's time," said Daniel.

"She's asleep, Daniel."

"I know," he said. "But, Kinsey wants you to bring her with you."

"Even though she's asleep?" I asked.

"Yeah."

"Can I kill him?" whined Jack.

"Maybe later," said Daniel. "Right now, we've got to keep her safe."

"You don't think I know that?"

"Jack…honey. We will keep her safe," I said, putting my hand on his shoulder.

He turned around and pulled me into his arms, holding me tightly. Laid my head on his chest and breathed in the scent of my husband.

"It's time, Jack," I whispered. "Time to put Kinsey in his place."

He nodded and released me with a kiss to my neck. He went over to Jessie and gently picked her up. She opened her sleepy blue eyes. "Dad?"

"I'm right here, Sunshine. Grandpa George wants to see you," he whispered as she laid her head back down on his shoulder.

"I'm scared, daddy," she whispered.

"I know, Sunshine. So am I. But, you know what?"

"What?"

"I've got a feelin' that Kinsey is going to get what's coming to him."

"I hope so," she said with a yawn.

"Go back to sleep, honey," I said. "When you wake up, everything will be alright."

"Promise?"

"I promise, Jessie." I leaned over and kissed her cheek. "I love you, honey."

She didn't say anything back. I walked around until I could see her face again. Chuckling, I kissed her forehead.

"She ok?" asked Jack softly.

"She's asleep again," I whispered, kissing her forehead one more time.

We moved slowly so she would stay asleep. Teal'c met us halfway, as did dad and Malek. "Dad!"

"What happened?" he asked as he kissed my cheek.

"She's asleep," I said. "Kinsey scared the hell out of her."

"We will protect her," said Malek. "This I promise."

"We know," I said.

Jack didn't like the Tok'ra, but he respected Malek and loved my dad. The seven of us headed towards the briefing room. We had our own little armed guard. Both dad and Malek were dressed in full Tok'ra garb and armed with zats.

Jack had grabbed his sidearm and Daniel also had his gun. Teal'c had his zat. The only one left unarmed, was me. "Jack," I whispered.

"What?"

"Give Jessie to me."

"I've got her, Sam."

"I know, but if something should happen, you'll need your arms free to pull your gun," I whispered.

"Alright," he said. He kissed her forehead and gently transferred Jessie to me. She whimpered slightly, but then yawned as she relaxed again.

Jack brushed her hair out of her eyes and kissed her forehead. "I swear…as soon as this is over, she's getting a haircut," I said with a grin.

"Sure thing," said Jack.

I don't think Jessie was completely asleep. The closer we got to the briefing room, the more her slight body trembled. Then again, she might have just sensed the animosity emanating from the room in her sleep.

Jack opened the door to the briefing room and we followed him inside. Kinsey was there, as were Senator Rheinhold and his son. To our dismay, Major Samuels was also there. On our side were General Hammond, dad, Malek, and Bratac. General Hammond motioned for us to sit down.

I sat down first with Jack on one side and dad on the other. Around the table from dad's side were Malek, Daniel, and Teal'c. "Jack?"

"She's just sleeping, sir. She fell asleep about ten minutes ago," said Jack, reaching over and taking Jessie's hand in his. He ran his thumb across her knuckles and she twitched in her sleep.

Jack smiled his first real smile of that day. "Can we get this over with?" said Senator Rheinhold. "I've got a meeting in Denver in six hours."

Jessie jerked awake at the loudness of his voice. "Mama?"

"It's ok, honey. You're ok," I whispered, holding her tighter. "I've got you."

"Major O'Neill. You need to let that…_child_…sit in a seat by herself," said Kinsey.

"She's fine where she's at," said General Hammond in a voice that brooked no argument.

I shot General Hammond a look of gratitude. He, in return, gave me a slight smile. He loved Jessie almost as much as he loved his own granddaughters.

"We're here to discuss the custody of one Jessica O'Neill," said Samuels.

"_My _daughter stays with me and my wife," said Jack vehemently. "She's _not _going anywhere with you."

"Dad…you're hurting me," whimpered Jessie. Jack realized he was squeezing Jessie's hand too hard.

He brought her hand up to his lips. "Sorry, Sunshine."

"S'ok."

"Why should Jessie be taken away from here?" asked General Hammond.

"She's a hazard to those around her. She cannot control her powers. She needs to be in a facility that can help her learn to control them," said Senator Rheinhold.

"She _can_ control her powers," said Selmak. "She was taught to control them by the Tok'ra."

"Well, then explain to me why my son was attacked by your daughter yesterday evening. Using her powers, she threw him up against the wall, giving him a concussion."

"He knew that he was _not _to touch her without her express permission!" said Daniel. "And he did anyway. He scared her."

"I was _trying _to help her get up on the table," sneered the Lieutenant.

"No," whispered Jessie. "You weren't."

"What happened, Jessie?" asked dad.

"He touched me," whispered Jessie. "He touched my…" she trailed off.

"What? What did he touch?" asked Jack.

"He touched my breasts," she whispered quietly as tears began to fall. "That's why I threw him against the wall."

"You son-of-a-bitch!" exclaimed Jack as he threw himself across the table at the Lieutenant. "I'll fuckin' kill you!" Quicker than anyone had thought he'd be, Teal'c grabbed Jack around the waist and pulled him back, but not before he slugged the Lieutenant.

Jack was struggling against Teal'c, trying to get away. "Dad!" exclaimed Jessie. She quickly got off my lap and walked back to Jack. "Dad, stop it." He continued to struggle. "Please, daddy. Stop!" She was begging him now.

He finally stopped struggling. He saw the fear in Jessie's eyes. Teal'c let him go and he pulled Jessie into his arms. "I'm so sorry, Sunshine."

Jessie started to sob uncontrollably. I stood up and wrapped my arms around Jessie from behind. "Shh…baby. It'll all be over soon," I whispered.

"I refuse to believe it!" exclaimed the Senator. "You have no proof!"

* * *

_Jack's POV_

Janet walked in holding a video tape. "Here's the proof!" she shouted as she threw the video tape to General Hammond. Jessie was still crying in fear. I was going to kill the son-of-a-bitch that touched my daughter.

I watched Kinsey reach for the video tape before Teal'c snatched it out of the air. He handed it to General Hammond. "I demand that you give me that tape!" said Kinsey.

"Like hell," said General Hammond. He turned around and put the tape in the vcr. I sat down and pulled Jessie onto my lap. She refused to look up. She buried her head in my chest and kept her eyes closed.

A bright light filled the room. When it cleared, Thor was sitting in his throne beside General Hammond. "I apologize for being late," he said.

"Glad you could make it, Thor," said General Hammond. "We were just about to look at the evidence against the Lieutenant."


	4. Irrefutable Evidence

_Not mine. Like to play with them. _

_Jack's POV_

General Hammond called for two SF's to enter the room. He motioned for them to stand behind the extremely pale lieutenant and his father. Once they were in position, General Hammond pushed play on the VCR.

Jessie refused to look up. She had her head buried in my chest and was still sobbing quietly.

We watched in horrified fascination as the tape from the infirmary began playing. We watched the lieutenant reach for Jessie as she backed up towards the bed. He said something to her and she shook her head. I made out the words, "don't touch me." He reached for her again, grinning maliciously, and groped her breasts. He tried to kiss her and her powers exploded as she forced him against the wall. The next scene was Jessie cowering in the corner as Jack and I ran into the room.

"There you have it. Irrefutable evidence against the lieutenant," said General Hammond. We noticed that both SF's had grabbed the lieutenant and hauled him to his feet.

"I didn't see any wrongdoing on the lieutenant's part," said Kinsey. "He was trying to help this _child_ onto the infirmary bed."

Senator Rheinhold stared at his son. "Why?"

"I didn't…"

"I told you what would happen if this happened again," said the Senator. "I've tried to protect you. But, this time, you've gone too far."

He turned to us. "I sincerely apologize for this. His mother and I tried to help him, but apparently it didn't work."

"What do you mean?" asked Daniel. "He's done this before?"

"Yes," was all the Senator would say.

"Get him out of here!" said General Hammond.

"Dad! Dad please!" exclaimed the lieutenant as the SF's dragged him out of the room.

"If he'd done this before, then how why was he allowed to work here?" demanded Sam.

"Not my doing," said Senator Rheinhold. He looked significantly as Kinsey.

"You son-of-a-bitch! You put him here, knowing what could happen!" exclaimed Daniel.

"That _child _does not belong here. She belongs in a facility that can tend to her _special_ needs," he sneered.

I sat Jessie on Sam's lap. She still refused to look up. I crossed the room to Kinsey's side. "You're lucky I don't kill you myself."

"You wouldn't dare try," said Kinsey.

"Wanna bet?"

"Jack, sit down," said General Hammond.

I leaned down to Kinsey's ear. "You may be safe here, but once you leave this complex, you're fair game."

I watched the implication of what I had said, sink in. Kinsey paled and stuttered. "You're threatening me?"

"Yes."

"Colonel O'Neill. I am so sorry for what your family has had to go through these last few days. I sincerely hope that we can work past this," said Rheinhold.

"Get off of my base," demanded General Hammond. "Both of you."

Rheinhold nodded, stood, and left the room silently. Kinsey, on the other hand, refused to move. "I have an order here to take her with me."

"An order from whom?" asked General Hammond.

"The President."

"Bullshit," said Sam. "He wouldn't sign Jessie over to you."

"He would and he has," said Kinsey smugly handing a piece of paper to General Hammond.

Hammond paled as he read the information. "No," said Sam.

"Call the President," I said.

Hammond nodded and went to his office to dial the President. Sam rocked Jessie slowly. We were _not _going to lose our daughter. Sam buried my head in her hair and let her tears fall. We were both hardened soldiers. But, when it came to our daughter, I wasn't. Neither was Sam. I looked up when General Hammond re-entered the room.

"George?" asked dad.

"I…" he faltered. Clearing his throat, he tried again. "I'm sorry, Jack. I have no choice but to order Jessie to go with him."

"Jessie's not military. You can't _order _her to do anything," said dad.

"Jacob, don't make this any harder than it already is," begged General Hammond, his eyes swimming with tears.

Kinsey stood and walked around to us. He grabbed Jessie by the arm. "Come with me."

"Don't touch me," she whispered, jerking her arm away from him.

"You _will _come with me," said Kinsey, pulling a weapon. "You are _mine_ now. You will learn to respect me."

"Like hell, I will," said Jessie. I pulled her into my arms. "I don't wanna go, daddy."

"You're _not _going anywhere but home with your mom and me," I said.

The two Tok'ra pulled zats. "You touch her, you die," said Malek. That kind of surprised me.

"You don't have a choice," said Kinsey. "It's from the President. Failure to comply will lead to immediate dismissal and imprisonment for all those involved."

"So? Do it," said Daniel, pulling his own weapon.

"I shall return," said Thor. In a blinding light, he disappeared.

Jessie was shaking uncontrollably in my arms. "I wanna go home," she muttered over and over again. "I wanna go home."

"As soon as Thor returns, we'll take you home, honey," Sam said wrapping her arms around her from behind. She didn't seem to hear her. She continued to mumble to herself.

Kinsey had his gun aimed at Jessie. Two more SF's had entered the room, along with Siler and Walter. They had their weapons aimed at Kinsey.

In a flash of light, Thor reappeared with the President. "_This _is your President, correct?"

_Sam's POV_

"Yeah," said Jack, as I backed away from Jessie. She turned her head and looked at me with such sadness in her eyes, it nearly broke my heart.

"This is not the man you spoke to earlier," he said to General Hammond. "The man you spoke to earlier had possession of a mimic device. He has been dealt with."

"You're not getting away with this," said Kinsey. "I have _your _signature on this form," he said to the President.

"Not my signature. That of my duplicate," said the President. "Jessie will stay with her family. _You_, on the other hand, have a lot of explaining to do."

Kinsey fired his gun at Jessie, just as Jessie's shield came up, surrounding us. The bullet bounced off and hit Kinsey in the chest.

He looked down at the blood spreading across his chest. "It wasn't supposed to happen this way," he muttered as he collapsed to the floor.

Jessie let go of Jack and made her way to the man lying on the floor. "I should let you die for you you've done to me," she said as she knelt beside him.

We could all see the fear in Kinsey's eyes. "But, I won't. I'm not like you. I'm _glad _I'm not like you," she said softly. She held her hands over his chest and healed his wound. She got up and stumbled her way back over to me and Jack.

"Can we go home, now?" she asked quietly.

"What did you do to me?" demanded Kinsey.

"She saved your sorry ass," said the President. "Maybe now, you'll leave her and her family alone."

He started to say something else to Jessie, but was beamed out by Thor. "Hopefully, he'll have learned his lesson," said Daniel.

"Doubtful," said Jessie. "People like him are the reason I've been scared for so long. They see what I can do and they want to know why. Even when they're given a reason, they still want to know why."

"Take her home, Jack," said the President. "We'll clean up here."

"Are there any more mimic devices missing?" I asked as I hugged my daughter tightly.

"No. Just the one. They're all under lock and key with only two people knowing the combination."

"Thank you, sir," said Jack as he pulled Jessie into his own embrace.

"Hey, no tug-of-war with the kid," mumbled Jessie.

Jack chuckled as he pulled me into arms. "Let's go home," he said.


	5. SelfDoubt

_A/N: Sorry it's been so long. Been tied up with work and a major case of writer's block.. Sorry it's so short. But, I know now what direction I'm taking this story.  
_

_Sam's POV_

"Wait a minute, Jack," said General Hammond.

We stopped before going out the door. "Sir?"

"I need you to stick around for a while," he said. "Just in case."

Jack groaned. "Yes, sir."

We took Jessie to her quarters and Jack went to talk to General Hammond. Jessie was still shaken up by what had transpired in the briefing room. I made her lie down and rest.

"Mama?"

"Hmmm?" I continued stroking Jessie's hair, knowing it was the only way to get her to relax.

"Can you ask Thor something for me?"

"What?"

"Can you ask him to take away these powers? Make me normal?"

"Honey, we've been over this. Why do you want to change who you are?"

She sat up and pulled her knees under her chin. "I'm tired of having to fight to stay with you and dad. If I didn't have these powers, people would leave me alone."

I mentally called for Jack and told him what was going on. After his reply, I knew this was the only way to get Jessie to stop this self-doubt of hers.

"Jessie, I just told your dad and he asked Thor."

She perked up. It was killing me inside to have to do this to her. "Really? What did he say?"

"He said he would do it if you wanted him to, but to let you know that it's irreversible. Once they're gone, they're gone for good."

I watched her digest this information. "Let's do it," she said softly.

I laid my hand on her arm. "Jessie, there's one more thing," I said. She tensed up, knowing something was not right. "Grandpa George said he won't risk you being unprotected off-world."

"And?"

"If you go through with this, you won't be on SG-1 anymore. No more off-world trips either."

Her eyes widened in dismay. "But, you and dad would be there," she protested. "And Uncle Daniel and Teal'c."

"I know. But, we'd all be worried about you the whole time and you know how dangerous lack of concentration can be."

She fell against the wall as Jack entered the room. "It's never gonna end is it?" she asked sadly.

Jack sat down beside her and she rested her head on his shoulder. "Sunshine, if this is what you want, we'll support you. Hell, I'll retire so that you won't be alone."

"No, dad," she said softly, pressing the heal of her hand against her eyes. He started to argue, but Jessie cut him off. "I guess I'll keep them a little longer. I can't stand the thought of you guys going off-world without me."

Jack ran his fingers through her hair. "That's my girl," he said, kissing the top of her head.

I reached over and took her hand in mine. "What brought this up, honey?"

She sighed and closed her eyes. "I'm tired of being picked on…tired of being a victim," she mumbled.

"We pick on you," said Jack.

"I know, but that's different. You don't try to hurt me," she said, looking at me. "I'm tired of being hurt." I could see her walls coming up. "Raped, beaten, tossed out of a car, shot, zatted, poisoned…did I forget anything?" she asked sarcastically.

"How about loved beyond measure?' said Jack. "Sunshine, you've got a lot of people who love you and would do anything to keep you safe and happy." He pulled her into his arms. "You know your mom and I are ready, willing, and damned sure able to do _anything_ in order to keep you safe."

"I know, dad. I'm just being moody," she said stretching out between us.

I knew something else was bothering her, but she wasn't forthcoming with any more information.

"I miss Landon," she whispered.

"I know, honey. I almost forgot. You've got a package at the post office from him," said Jack.

"Really?"

"Yeah. Got the paper out of the mailbox before we came here."

She laid her head on my shoulder and closed her eyes. "Later. I just wanna sleep now," she whispered, sneezing softly.

"Ok, honey," I said, kissing the top of her head.

I moved and stroked her hair until she fell asleep. "That was mean, Jack."

"I know, honey. But, that's the only way to get her to quit trying to be someone else," he whispered back. "George was serious, though. If she didn't have her powers, he wouldn't risk her life by allowing her to go off-world."

"I know. I just wish we could take the pain from her," I said softly, continuing to stroke her hair.

"Me too, Sam. But, unless we erase her memories, the pain will always be there. She's learning to deal with it," he said, looking up at me. "She knows that what she's gone through is what has made her what she is."

I smiled at my husband. He was childish most of the time. But, when it came to Jessie, he knew what words to say to put her at ease. He knew how to make her smile when no one else could.


	6. The Protector

The Protector

When we left the base, Jessie asked Jack to stop by the post office to retrieve Landon's gift. She was still tired from the medication that Janet had given her and slept on the way home. Jack stopped and got the package for her. It was a fairly large box. There was no telling what was inside. Even though Jack was extremely curious about what was inside the box, I refused to let him open it. It was Jessie's box and she would open it when she awoke.

He carried her inside and laid her in her bed. She mumbled something and rolled over, hugging her bear. I smiled and took a picture with the new digital camera we'd bought her a few weeks before. She was taking a photography class in school and the cameras they had just weren't enough for her brilliant mind. George and dad had pitched in to get her a new camera, top of the line. They also pitched in to get her a new laptop. An _Alienware_ laptop with all the bells and whistles. She'd had to keep the kids at school from stealing it a few times. She created a program to make the computer respond to her voice only. Then, and only then, would the computer boot up.

We were sitting on the couch, watching _Matrix_, when she came downstairs.

"Mama?"

"I'm here, honey," I said lifting my head from Jack's lap.

"What time is it?" she asked as she made her way to us.

"About 3:00," said Jack.

I moved over so she could sit between us. "How're you feeling?"

"Better," she said with a yawn. She laid her head on my shoulder.

"I got that package for you, Sunshine," said Jack. I shook my head and laughed.

"What's so funny?" she mumbled.

"Your dad has been itching to get into that box since we picked it up," I said.

She laughed at the look on Jack's face. "It was heavy. I was just wondering what was in it!"

She laughed even harder. I smiled at Jack, loving how my husband could make our daughter feel better in such simple ways. It was funny.

"Where is it?" she asked, catching her breath.

"Right here," said Jack, leaning over the couch and picking up the package. He sat it in front of her and I knew she recognized Landon's handwriting on the top of the box. How did I know? Well, other than the fact that Jack had told her it was from Landon, her eyes lit up with a smile. The first _real _smile I'd seen in a few days.

He got out his knife and gingerly cut the box open. She dove in and we both laughed. "Anxious are we?" asked Jack.

She shrugged. "I haven't heard from him in a while," she said. "I miss him," she added softly.

I rubbed her back gently as she dug through all the packing. She pulled the first gift out: a heart-shaped picture frame with their picture inside. It was the last picture they'd had taken with each other when he'd visited the month before. They'd had the picture taken at the mall in one of those photo booths. He was only here for a few hours, but it had made Jessie's year. She'd really missed the boy.

She grinned. "I'd forgotten about this," she said. He'd taken the picture and told her he would send it to her once he fixed it up. The way her eyes lit up when she saw that picture, was priceless. The glow was back in her baby-blue eyes.

She saw a letter lying in the box and picked it up. Reading quickly, she gave me a strange look. "What's wrong, honey?"

She handed me the letter to read. All it said was, "Look outside."

The three of us quickly walked to the backdoor and opened it up to the deck. She squealed in surprise and ran out the door. There, on our deck was Landon Savage.

She jumped into his arms and he hugged her tightly to him. "When did you get here? How did you get here?" asked Jack.

He sat Jessie down, but didn't remove his arms from her. "That's kind of a long story," he said. "It might be better if I show you."

What happened next surprised the hell out of all of us. An Asgard beam appeared and, once it had disappeared, Thor was standing in our backyard. Jessie screamed in terror and backed away from Landon. She ran straight to Jack's arms.

"Dad!" She was trembling so hard that it was almost as if she would shake herself apart.

"Thor? Why are you here?" he demanded. Landon just looked helpless as Jessie trembled in her father's arms. He didn't know the diminutive alien scared the hell out of Jessie.

"Do you remember the night my real parents came for me?" asked Landon.

"Yes," I said, stroking Jessie's hair. She had her head buried in Jack's chest and was shaking uncontrollably. Thor actually looked sad for a moment because of Jessie's reaction to him.

"They weren't my parents. In actuality, my parents do not exist." He looked at Jessie with sadness in his eyes. "I was created in a lab," he said softly.

"Thor!" exclaimed Jack.

"It was Loki," said Thor. "We have been unable to locate him for several years. It seems he is always one step ahead of our trackers. Once we had realized what he had done, we tried to rectify the mistake. But, in creating Landon, he gave Jessie a protector. It was for Jessie, that Landon was created."

"Landon?"

"I didn't know about any of this. When they came for me that night, I thought I'd finally found my family." He looked up at Jessie with tears in his eyes. "Like you did. I thought I'd finally found my home." He sat down heavily in one of the deckchairs. "When they beamed me up, I knew then that something was wrong. They took me in and told me exactly what I was and who I was. I was…I was given the choice. I could learn how to control my new powers and return to you, or they could put me out of my misery. I wanted to talk to you. I wanted to be with you. I love you, Jessie. Now, you're scared of me. I should've chosen…" He trailed off as Jessie let go of Jack and slowly walked towards him.

She knelt in front of him and took his large hands in her small ones. "I'm glad you came back, Landon. I missed you," she whispered. He pulled her up on his lap and held her tightly.

"I love you, Jessie. I may not be human, but I know what love is," he sobbed.

She didn't say anything. She laid her head on his shoulder and cried for him…and for herself. A flash of light appeared and Thor disappeared. We left the two of them alone and went into the house.

"Why Jessie?" asked Jack.

"What?"

"Why do the Asgard have to pick on Jessie all the time?" He flopped down on to the sofa, pulling me with him. "I know she's advanced, but come on! She's still just a kid! And now we find out that Landon is like her! Neither one of them has had a chance to be the kids that they're supposed to be!"

"No, dad," said Jessie, pulling Landon inside with her. "I've never been 'just a kid'. I never had a chance." She looked up at Landon. "And neither did he."

"Jessie, honey, we know. But, you still need to find a way to be 'just a kid'," I said, holding my hand out for my daughter.

She let go of Landon and sat between me and Jack. Landon sat down in the recliner across from us. She laid her head on Jack's shoulder. "I'm scared, dad."

He hugged her close and kissed the top of her head. "I know, Sunshine. But, we're not going to let anything or anyone hurt you." The last was directed towards Landon.

Jessie heard the animosity in Jack's voice and flinched. "Dad, it's not Landon's fault. It's Loki's. He's the one who made him. Heimdall is the one who gave me my powers. It's the Asgard, dad. It's _their _fault."

"I know, Sunshine. I'm like you. I'm tired of them picking on you," he whispered into her hair.

Landon stood up, causing Jessie to look up. "I…uh…can I use your phone? I need to call a cab."

"Where're you going?" asked Jessie, looking up at him.

"I don't want to intrude. I'm just gonna go home and get my things unpacked." He was actually shuffling his feet.

Jessie looked up at Jack. "Dad?" I could hear the plea in her voice.

"Why don't you stay for dinner, Landon? I'm sure you two have a lot to catch up on," he said.

"Are you sure, sir?'

"Call me 'Jack'," he said. "And yes, I'm sure. You're her protector. I have a feeling that, someday, you'll be our son-in-law."

Jessie and Landon both blushed furiously. "Daaad!"

"What?" he asked with a grin.

"Even though I'm not a virgin, I…" she stopped, paling considerable.

"Jessie?"

"I think I'm gonna be sick," she said, bolting from the room.

We followed her into her room and then into her bathroom. I held her hair as she threw up in the toilet. Jack handed her a glass of water. She rinsed her mouth and collapsed against me.

"Mama?"

"Shh. I'm here."

"I need to talk to you alone," she whispered, not looking up at her dad or Landon.

"Ok," I said. I looked at Jack and he nodded.

"Come on, Landon. Let's leave the ladies to talk. There're some things I want to ask you."

He took Landon by the arm and led him out of Jessie's room. I helped her off the floor and followed her into her bedroom. When she sat down on the bed, she pulled her bear into her arms, hugging it closely.

I sat down in front of her. "What's wrong, angel?"

"What if dad's right?" she whispered.

"What do you mean?" I asked, reaching over and brushing her hair out of her eyes.

"What if Landon does want me to marry him?"

"Do you want to marry him?"

"Someday, yes. But, I…I don't know…" she trailed off and laid her head on top of her bear.

"Don't know what, honey?"

"What if I can't ever…you know…with him?"

"What? Have sex?"

She flinched and blushed. "Yeah," she whispered. "What if I'm not normal when it comes to that?"

"Jessie, honey, look at me," I said softly, moving beside her. I wrapped my arm around her shoulder. She looked up at me and gave me a slight smile. "Honey, no one is ever _normal_ when it comes to sex."

"Yeah, but not everyone has gone through what I've gone through either," she said.

"True, but answer me this. I know you're only fourteen, but do you love him?"

"Yes," she said without hesitation.

"Ok. Knowing what you know about him, do you trust him?"

"Yes," she said again without hesitation.

"Then trust him not to pressure you or hurt you when it comes time for that aspect of your relationship," I said, kissing her forehead.

"Thanks, mama."

"You're welcome," I said, giving her a strong hug. "Besides, I don't think your dad will be ready for you to date until you're at least thirty."

She chuckled and hugged me back. "We'd better go find them. Dad probably scared him off by now."

I laughed and released her. "Come on, little bit," I said with a grin, knowing it was get to her.

"Mommm!"

_Jack's POV_

When we left Sam and Jessie, I knew what Jessie had wanted to talk to her mom about. She wasn't sure she'd ever be able to have sex with Landon, if it ever came to that. I didn't know the boy well. I knew enough from Jessie to realize that he wouldn't pressure or hurt her in any way. I just hope Sam could talk her out of her fears.

We went into the kitchen. "You want a _Diet Pepsi_?" I asked. It was the only soda Jessie would drink.

"Can I have a glass of water?" he asked softly.

"Have a seat," I said, motioning towards the table. I pulled out a bottle of water and handed it to him. He drank half of it down and sat the bottle on the table. "Don't worry, Landon. Jessie's ok. Sam's talking to her," I said.

"I know. I just don't…what if she decides she doesn't want me anymore? Because of _what_ I am."

"I know my daughter, Landon. She loves you. Even though she's only fourteen, she loves you. She's loved you for a long time. She's not goin to change her mind."

He nodded. "Thank you, sir."

"I said call me 'Jack'."

"Yes, sir…I mean Jack."

"Now, I do have a couple of questions for you. You said you had to unpack. Where are you staying?"

"With Connor and Caleb," he said. "They've got a house over on Oak St. It's got three bedrooms, so I won't be crashing on the couch. They know about me and Jessie and they know they can't tell anyone."

"Are you still going by 'Savage'?"

"No, sir. At this time, I don't have a last name."

"Well, I'd let you borrow 'O'Neill', but I think that would be too weird for Jessie," I said with a laugh.

"Yeah. It would be kind of weird for me to have the same last name as my girlfriend," he said, laughing at the thought. His eyes took on a distant look. "I do have an idea, though."

"Well?"

"Sheppard," he said. "Technically, I don't have a father. I know that Loki created me, but I don't like the sound of 'Fenrir'." He shuddered as he said the name of the Asgard.

"What about a middle name?"

"Well, what about 'Keegan? 'Landon Keegan Sheppard. That sounds ok, I guess."

"I'll talk to General Hammond and see if he can get you a new birth certificate, SSN, driver's license, things like that," I said.

"Well, at least you two haven't killed each other," said Sam as she and Jessie entered the kitchen.

Jessie wrapped her arms around my neck, kissed me on the cheek, and sat her chin on my shoulder. "Thank you, daddy," she whispered.

"You're very welcome, Sunshine," I said, kissing her cheek. I held her arms around my neck for a little while longer, enjoying the closeness of my daughter.

When I let her go, she made her way to Landon and plopped herself down in the chair beside him. She kissed his cheek, causing him to blush furiously. Sam and I laughed at the look on his face.

"Dad?"

"Yeah, Sunshine?" I asked after calming down.

"What's for dinner?" she asked. "I'm hungry." As if on cue, someone's stomach growled.

"I was thinking Chinese tonight," said Sam.

"Cool. From where?"

"I thought we'd try that new Chinese restaurant that opened up next to O'Malley's."

"Ok."

"I'm gonna go get changed and tell the guys where we're going," said Landon. "I'll be back in about twenty minutes." He leaned over and kissed Jessie on the cheek and orbed out.

This time, she blushed. Laughing, Sam said, "Go get changed, honey."

"Yes, ma'am," she mumbled and ran up the stairs.

"Come on, Jack. We've got to get dressed too," she said, pulling me out of the chair.

"Yes, ma'am," I mumbled, chuckling as she dragged me to our room.

We changed and met Jessie downstairs. "Ready, honey?"

"Yeah. I just have to grab my purse," she said. She seemed distracted.

"Jessie, are you ok?"

"Huh?" she asked, still looking for her purse.

"What's wrong, Jessie?" asked Sam, reaching behind the couch for Jessie's purse.

"Nothing. Just thinkin'," she said. "Thanks, mom," she added when Sam handed her the purse.

"Bout what, Sunshine?" I asked.

"Landon…and me," she said.

"What about you and Landon?"

"What if by creating Landon and genetically enhancing me, the Asgard want to create a Hok'tar?"

"What do you mean, baby?" asked Sam.

She looked at me. "You remember when you said someday Landon would be your son-in-law?"

"Yeah?" I said hesitantly.

"I think they want us to have a child. That child will combine my bloodline with Landon's," she whispered.

"Are you sure?" asked Sam.

"Yeah," she said. "They want to use the child to solve their cloning problem." She shivered as I put my arms around her. "I'm scared, daddy."

"If there ever is a child, Sunshine, we won't let them take it."

"You can't stop them, dad."

"We'll try, honey," said Sam. "We're not going to let anything happen to you or Landon."

"I know," she whispered. "Just…don't let Landon know that I told you this."

"Why, honey?" I asked.

"Because, I don't want him to feel obligated or pressured by the Asgard to do this. I don't want him to know that we're actually just an experiment."

"Sunshine, you're not just an experiment. You never have been _just an experiment_. You're our daughter and we love you more than anything else. So what if they think you can save their race. They won't be able to anything unless we approve it. Besides, I don't think he would feel obligated to you. He loves you. I think he's more worried about _you _thinking he would pressure _you_."

"I know he wouldn't. But, what if the Asgard beam us up and make us?" She had tears in her eyes by this time.

"They can't _make _you do anything, honey," said Sam, running her fingers through Jessie's hair.

"Promise me you won't say anything to Landon?" she whispered.

"We promise, Sunshine. But, eventually, he will have to be told about your suspicions," I said.

"I know. But, I don't want it to happen today," she said as a knock sounded at the door. "It's Landon," she said, wiping the tears from her eyes.

I kissed her cheek softly as Sam did the same. "We love you, honey," said Sam.

"I know, mama. I love you too," replied Jessie as I got up to answer the door.

_My POV_

I leaned into mom as dad got up to answer the door. Landon walked in. God, he looked good. He was wearing black jeans, a black long-sleeved t-shirt, and black boots. He always looked good in black. I was wearing blue jeans, a blue long-sleeved t-shirt, and white _K-Swiss®_ sneakers. He smiled when he saw me. He had his hand behind his back. He walked over to me and kissed my cheek before presenting me with a single red rose.

"I've missed you," he whispered, stroking my cheek and resting his forehead against mine.

"I missed you, too," I whispered back.

I heard chuckling and turned to look at mom and dad. They had the goofiest grins on their faces. I scowled at them.

"Oh, shut up," I muttered. I grabbed Landon's hand and pulled him out to the truck. Mom and dad followed at a more sedate pace. I knew they were still grinning.

On the way to the restaurant, I kept thinking about what I'd told mom and dad. I knew I was right when it came to what the Asgard were planning. Ok. Maybe it wasn't the _entire_ Asgard. But, those little guys scared the hell out of me – even Thor, who had been nothing but kind to me.

We ate dinner quietly, Landon and I sneaking looks at each other. I knew mom and dad could see them, but rather than pick on me abou them, they were actually…ummm…nice about it. They both knew I was scared to be intimate with Landon. Even though I knew he wouldn't hurt me, that part of the relationship scared the shit out of me.

When we dropped Landon off, he kissed me gently. "I know you're scared, honey. I am too," he whispered.

"How do we know that this is really how we feel, Landon? How do we know it's not just…how do we know they didn't…" I trailed off.

"How do we know that they didn't manipulate us?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I was told I was supposed to be your protector and that was all. Nothing more, nothing less. I love you, Jessie. I'm _in _love with you. And I'm not going anywhere."

He wrapped his arms around me and I held on tight. "I love you, too."

"I know you're scared about having sex with me," he whispered softly after a few minutes of silence.

I froze. He started stroking my back gently. "I'm not going to pressure you. I'm only sixteen. You're only fourteen. We've got plenty of time for that part of our relationship."

He kissed my forehead and pushed me back gently before cupping my cheek. "Besides, I want to wait until our wedding night to make love to you. I want it to be special." I closed my eyes against the tears threatening to fall. "When I ask you to marry me, I want you to be sure that I'm the one you want to spend the rest of your life with. I know now…hell, I've known since you were five years old that you are the only one for me. There will be no other girls for me." He leaned down and kissed me again. "I love you, baby."

The tears began falling silently. He held me close as I cried, whispering words of love and comfort. After a while, I drew back and kissed him softly. "I'd better go."

"Can I call you tomorrow?" he asked, running his fingers through my hair.

"Yeah," I whispered.

He walked me back to the truck and waiting until we drove off to go inside. My brain was on overdrive. I couldn't stop thinking about what I'd told mom and dad, and what Landon had said. I knew every girl wanted a romantic man like Landon. But, even with the romantic words and sweet gestures, I was still apprehensive about sex. Mom had said no one is normal when it comes to sex. But, I wanted to be different. I wanted to be able to show Landon how much I loved him. But, it would take a while to work up the courage.

Besides, we had all the time in the world. Right?

4


	7. Meridian

Disclaimer: Not mine. Will never be mine. I'm just playing with them. I promise I'll put them back when I'm done. Jack and Sam are a bit OOC, but oh well. Jessie's mine. As are Landon, Connor, and Caleb.

* * *

_My POV_

Everything was going great. I had a part-time job at the sport's center and was making pretty good money. Mom took me to the bank and helped me open a saving's account. I also got paid for proof-reading mission reports and program codes for different people at the SGC. Everything I made went into my saving's account. I had about $2000.00 by this time and was slowly adding to it. Like I said…things were going great for once.

Then Uncle Daniel got sick and it all fell apart…again.

They were on some planet named Kelowna and there was an accident. He was hit full-blast with some sort of radiation and got really sick. I tried to heal him. I really did. But, he was so far gone, I couldn't. It made me really sick. I ended up in the infirmary for four days after he died. I guess the sicker the person was that I tried to heal, the worse off my recovery was. According to Aunt Janet I came very close to dying myself after I tried to heal him the last time. I couldn't remember anything after the last time I tried to heal Daniel, which was the day he died. Grandpa Jacob had come in and tried to heal him and then me, but my system was all screwed up and the Tok'ra device wouldn't work. A couple of days later, I heard Aunt Janet talking to someone about a bright light appearing when Daniel died. From the description I overheard, I told Aunt Janet that he'd ascended.

Then I asked where mom and dad were. Everyone kept giving me a different reason why they weren't there…they were offworld; they were in meetings. I finally figured out that they didn't want to see me. I was hurt and scared and my own parents wouldn't come see me. I couldn't take anymore. After the fourth day of being ignored, I couldn't handle the isolation anymore. I knew they were hurting, but I needed them.

I snuck out of the infirmary and went to mom's lab. She had her doors locked. Using my powers, I unlocked the door and walked in. Mom was sitting in the dark, staring at her computer screen.

"Mom?" I didn't get any response. "Mama," I said louder.

"I'm busy, Jessie," she said, not even lookin up.

"I need to talk to you," I said, my voice breaking. She didn't say anything else. "I'm sorry, mama." Still nothing. "I'm sorry I couldn't save Uncle Daniel."

"Jessie, I'm really busy. I'll talk to you at home," she said, shuffling papers around her desk. She never looked at me. She never acknowledged that I was standing there.

"I'm sorry," I whispered and orbed out of her lab. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't remember the last time that I'd felt so fucking empty. I had one last shot to hold on to my sanity…to hold on to my family.

I found dad in the briefing room. He was sitting there staring at the stargate. "Dad?" Nothing. "Daddy?"

"What?"

"I need to talk to you," I said.

"Jessie, I'm kinda busy," he said. "Can this wait?"

"Daddy, I'm sorry I couldn't save Uncle Danny."

"Damn it, Jessie. I said I was busy. Now, go home!" he yelled. He never turned around; never even looked at me…not even my reflection.

"I'm sorry," I whispered. With a sob, I orbed out of the base and out of my parents' lives.

_Sam's POV_

There was a split between me and Jack since Daniel ascended. We weren't talking and weren't making love. We still slept together, but that was it. He slept on his side of the bed and I slept on my side of the bed. After two weeks, I decided it was time for something to change.

"Jack?"

"Yeah, babe?" he asked.

"Are we ok?" I asked softly as we were getting ready for bed one night.

"What do you mean?"

"We haven't talked in two weeks. We…we haven't made love in two weeks." I turned towards the window and watch the rain fall. "I don't know…"

He walked up behind me, put his arms around my waist, and laid his head on my shoulder. "I'm sorry, Sam. You know how bad I am at talking about how I'm feeling."

I turned in his arms and laid my head on his chest and, after two weeks, let my tears fall. "Just hold me, Jack."

"I've got you," he whispered and buried his head in my neck. "I'm so sorry, Sam. I'm so sorry, baby."

We held each other, both of us crying, until we were cried out. "We're gonna be ok, Sam. I promise," he whispered.

I looked up at him and saw something I'd been missing in his eyes…love. He leaned down and pressed his lips to mine. He deepened the kiss and our passion exploded. We ended up making love throughout the night.

The next morning, I was standing in my lab trying to remember something. There was something I was forgetting, but I couldn't put my finger on it. I knew I stared at the same spot on the wall for about twenty minutes when Jack's arms came around my waist.

"Hey, baby," he whispered.

"Hey," I said distractedly. I turned in his arms and kissed him deeply. "Mmmm," I hummed against his lips.

He trailed kisses down my throat and buried his head in my throat. "Jack?"

"Yeah, babe?" His voice was muffled by my neck.

"I…"

He lifted his head and looked at me. Tucking a strand of hair behind my ears, he said, "What's wrong, Sam?"

"I don't know," I said. "Something." I saw the concern in his brown eyes and realized what it was. "Jack, when is the last time you saw Jessie?"

"At breakfast," he said.

"Are you sure?"

He ran his fingers through his hair. "Well, no. But, she's normally asleep when we get home and already gone to school when we get up." He started pacing. "The last time I can _really_ remember seeing her is…" He trailed off and stopped pacing. "Shit."

"What?"

"The last time I can remember seeing her is when she found me in the briefing room…two weeks ago. She said something and I told her to go home."

"She said she was sorry she couldn't save Daniel. Jack! She thinks we blame her for Daniel's death!" I cried out.

"Shit…that's the same thing she said to me!" He grabbed my cell phone and dialed home. "No answer. Jessie, honey, if you're there, pick up." He looked at me.

"Try her cell phone," I said. He dialed her number.

"It's been disconnected," he said after several seconds. He hung up and grabbed my hand. "Let's go."

We met Janet halfway to the surface. "Janet, this may sound strange, but have you seen Jessie recently?"

"No," she said. "Not since she snuck out of the infirmary almost a week ago."

Ok. That was news. "Why was she in the infirmary?" asked Jack.

She gave us a strange look. "Jessie nearly died trying to save Daniel's life. She was unconscious for two days. The fourth day she was in there, she snuck out and I haven't seen her since." All of this was said slowly, as if she was trying to explain something to a stubborn child.

My heart plummeted to my feet. The only thing I kept hearing was _nearly died_. My daughter nearly died and where was I? I'm not really sure.

"She cried every night because you wouldn't come see her."

"Janet, we…we didn't know," I said, knowing that was no excuse.

"I don't see how you didn't know. She kept asking for you. Hell, even Jonas came to see her," said Janet angrily.

"Janet," came a familiar voice from behind us. Turning around, we all saw Daniel standing there dressed all in white.

She reached up to touch him, but he stopped her with one word. "Don't. Your hand will go right through me and it's not exactly comfortable."

He looked up at us. "You need to find Jessie and soon."

"Where is she?" asked Jack.

"I promised her I wouldn't tell you where she is. But, you need to find her."

"Is she in trouble?" I asked, getting more and more scared by the minute.

"Yes," he said. "She is in danger and if you don't get to her quickly, you're going to lose her. You need to do everything you can to make this right, Jack."

"We know."

"Do you? Do you really? You ignored her for a week and then didn't even realize she was gone until almost a week afterwards."

"We know that, Daniel. We just…"

"I miss you guys, too," he said softly. He looked at Janet. "Especially you."

"I wish you were really here," she whispered.

"I am. Just not…physically," he whispered back. "Hang on." He closed his eyes and we remained quiet for a few moments. He reached out and took Janet in his arms, kissing her deeply. "I will come back for you one day. This ascension thing is nothing without you."

"I miss you so much," she cried, holding on to him. "I love you."

"I love you too, Jan," he whispered. He looked up at us and then gasped. "They're stopping me from helping. Find her. NOW!" With that final word, he disappeared, leaving a sobbing Janet on the floor of the elevator.

Cassie met us at the surface. "What happened?" she demanded when she saw Janet's tear-stained face.

"Daniel came back," I said softly. "Have you seen Jessie?"

"No," she said. "And what do you mean by 'Daniel came back'?"

"He showed up in the elevator and told us we needed to find Jessie."

We got in the truck and headed for home, thinking there might be something there that would tell us where she went. Jack drove quickly, trying to keep under the radar. I knew he was hurting at the thought of completely forgetting about Jessie.

We got home and looked for clues as to where Jessie had gone. We nearly tore the house apart looking for any clue. We didn't find anything. I was at my wits end with worry and fear.

"What about Landon? He would know where she is," I said.

Jack picked up the phone and dialed Landon's number. I picked up the other phone so I could listen to the conversation.

"Hello?"

"Landon?"

"No. This is Connor."

"Connor, this is Colonel O'Neill. Is Landon there?"

"Just a sec," said Connor. We both heard him yell, "Landon! Phone!"

"Who is it?" said a muffled Landon.

"Jessie's dad," said Connor.

"Fuck," he mumbled. "Hello?" he said into the phone.

"Landon, it's Jack O'Neill. Do you know where Jessie is?" asked Jack.

"Nope. Haven't seen her," said Landon.

"Hey, butthead. We're going to work," said Connor. "Don't destroy the place while we're gone."

"Yeah, right. Later," said Landon to Connor.

"You're lying," I said. "Please, Landon. Please let us talk to her," I begged.

"She's not here," he insisted.

"Landon?" I heard Jessie's voice come from the other side. "Who is it?"

I heard him try to cover the receiver. Although muffled, we heard his words clearly. "It's your parents."

"What do they want?"

"To talk to you," he said.

"I don't…I don't know," she said.

"Please, Landon. Give her the phone," said Jack.

"Hello?" said Jessie's soft voice.

"Jessie! Please come home," I begged. "Please, baby. Please come home."

"You didn't even know I was gone," she whispered.

"We're sorry, Sunshine. Please…please come home," said Jack.

"Two weeks," she said softly.

"What?"

"It took you almost two weeks to even realize I was gone," she said. "Just leave me alone."

She hung up the phone. I tried to hold in the tears. I refused to let them fall. I hung up the phone and walked over to where Jack was standing. He was staring at the phone in his hands. I took the phone from his trembling hands and placed it back on the wall.

"What have I done?" he whispered. "What have we done, Sam?"

"We're going to get her back, Jack. You have to believe that," I said, cupping his face and kissing his lips gently. "Let's go bring our daughter home."

He took my hand and led me to the truck. It didn't take long to get to Landon's house. We knew Jessie and Landon were still there. They knew we were coming.

Jack rang the doorbell. Landon opened the door and all I saw was fury on his face.

"What do you want?" he demanded to know.

"We want to…" Jack trailed off and stared behind Landon. I followed his eyes and saw Jessie.

"We want to talk to you," I whispered, knowing Jessie could hear me.

"No," said Landon. "You've done enough damage."

"Please, Jessie. Let us talk to you," begged Jack. We were both at our breaking points. If she wouldn't let us talk to her, then it was over. Our family…our lives.

"Let them in, Landon," she said softly, putting her hand on his back.

He turned from us and pulled her into his arms. He held her for a few moments and then backed off, letting us in. She sat down on the sofa and he sat beside her. We sat down on the other sofa. I knew we had to do some serious groveling in order to save our family.

"Why are you here?" she asked. "Why couldn't you just stay away?"

"We couldn't," I said.

"Why?" she whispered. I'd noticed she wouldn't even look up at us.

"Because we love you, Sunshine. You're our daughter," said Jack. I could hear the fear in his voice. The fear that she wouldn't forgive us.

"Don't call me that," she said. "You lost that right."

I knew then that we'd lost her. She would never come home. I could actually feel my heart breaking…an actual, physical pain.

"We…we're sorry, honey," I mumbled through the tears falling down my face. "I don't know what else to say."

"Why did it take you almost two weeks to realize I was gone?" she said, finally looking up at us. I could see the anger, pain, and hopelessness in her blue eyes.

"We don't have an excuse, honey," said Jack. "There _is _no excuse for the way that we've treated you. All I can say is we'll do whatever it takes to make this up to you. We'll do whatever you want."

I quickly nodded my head in agreement.

"And if I want you to leave and never contact me again?" she whispered.

Yep. We'd lost her.

Jack and I both choked on a sob. "If…if…if that's what you want," I said tearfully.

"Mr. O'Neill, Mrs. O'Neill, please help yourself to anything in the kitchen while I talk to Jessie," said Landon, pulling Jessie from the couch and walking towards the back of the house.

"But…" I said.

Jack took my hand and led me to the kitchen. He grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator and opened it. "What're we going to do, Jack? We've lost her," I said, finally letting my tears fall.

He sat down the bottle and pulled me into his arms. "I think Landon's gonna talk to her. I think he's gonna try to talk her into coming home," he whispered softly.

"Are you sure?" I asked, my voice quivering from the effort of keeping the sobs in check.

"Yes," he said, determined that Jessie was coming home.

Landon came back inside after fifteen minutes of talking to Jessie. "Where's my daughter?" asked Jack.

"Is she coming home?" I asked, fearful of the answer.

"Yes, she is," said Jessie, walking around Landon. I reached for her and she shied away. "Don't touch me."

Jack and I took her guitar, laptop, and suitcase to the truck, giving her a chance to say goodbye to Landon. We watched as Jessie held onto the man in front of her as if he were going to disappear.

After a few minutes, he kissed her gently and let her go. She got into the truck and shut the door. I reached for her hand again.

She jerked away and said, "I said, don't touch me." She pulled out her iPod and turned it on, effectively tuning us out.

When we got home, Jessie immediately went to her room and locked the door. For the next five or six days, she would come downstairs and eat with us, sit in the living room and watch tv with us (on a separate sofa), but she wasn't really there. She wouldn't talk to us. She wouldn't answer us when we tried to speak to her telepathically. She wouldn't even look at us. Now, I knew how she felt.

One night, we were getting ready for bed and she walked past our door. "Jessie?" I said.

She stopped walking, but didn't turn around. "Goodnight, Sunshine. I love you," said Jack.

"I love you too, honey," I said.

She nodded and kept walking until she reached her bedroom. She turned to shut the door and I saw the loneliness in her eyes. I couldn't take it anymore. I was in agony over what we'd done to her. We both were.

I turned to Jack and broke down.

_My POV_

I didn't want to hurt anymore. I didn't want to _be _hurt anymore. Landon was still on Thor's ship. Apparently, he was going to be there for a few months. I ate with my parents; I watched tv with them. I wouldn't let them touch me. I wouldn't talk to them. I ignored their thoughts. I wouldn't look at them. I treated them the same way they treated me. I was getting my revenge. But, for some reason, it didn't make me feel any better. If anything, it made the pain worse.

I walked past their room and saw mom standing in the doorway. She was looking towards my room when she saw me. I could see the pain in her eyes. It was the same pain I'd had in my eyes for the past two weeks.

I kept walking. I just wanted to get to my room and cry myself to sleep.

"Jessie?"

I stopped, but didn't turn around. I could hear the desperation in that one word.

"Goodnight, Sunshine. I love you," said dad.

"I love you too, honey," said mom softly.

I nodded my head and started walking towards my room again. I shut my door and fell, crying, to my bed. I hurt so much. I couldn't breathe. I actually just wanted to die. I'd never felt more alone than I did at that moment. I ended up crying myself to sleep.

Some kind of sound woke me up. Looking at the clock, I saw it was only 2:00 in the morning. I started to go back to sleep, but I heard the sound again. It was coming from mom and dad's room.

I got out of bed and walked towards their room. Seeing the door cracked, I stopped to listen. I could hear mom crying.

"She hates us, Jack. She won't even look at me anymore. She's doing to us what we did to her. I don't know how much more I can take," she said, sobbing into dad's shoulder. "I just wanna hold her and tell her everything's gonna be ok. But, she won't even let me touch her."

"I know, baby. Every time I look at her, I wanna cry. I don't know what to say to her. Every time I try to talk to her, she walks away," said dad.

I quietly pushed the door open. "I don't hate you, mama. I don't. But, you…" I trailed off when I saw their pained expressions. I backed out of the room. "I…I'm sorry."

I turned and ran back to my room. I shouldn't have gone in there. They may have said they were hurting, but their faces were blank. I laid down on my bed and started crying again.

I heard them come in and sit down. "Sunshine, why did you leave? Why didn't you make us talk to you?" asked dad, rubbing my back gently.

I sat up and wrapped my arms around my legs. "I tried! I tried to make you talk to me, but you wouldn't!" I started rocking back and forth. "I left because I got tired of being the invisible kid around here. The last time I looked, that wasn't one of my powers."

"We're so sorry for hurting you, baby. We're so sorry for ignoring you. We didn't know how to react to losing Daniel," said mom.

"And that makes it all better? You didn't know how to react?" I pushed dad away and, shakily, stood up. "I _needed _you! I'm _your_ daughter! I _needed _you and _you _weren't there!"

"We know, Sunshine," said dad. "We don't know how to make it up to you. Tell us how. Tell us how to make this up to you."

I sat down heavily on my bed and put my head in my hands. "I don't know how. I don't think you can," I whispered. I felt them sit down, one on each side of me and mom put her arms around me.

"I know, honey. I know it will take time," she said. "But, will you let us try?"

"I'm scared," I said softly.

"Of what?" asked dad.

"Every time I think things are getting to be normal, you hurt me. I don't wanna be hurt anymore. I don't want _you_ to hurt me anymore. Please," I begged softly, looking at mom first, and then dad. "Please, don't hurt me anymore."

I broke down in mom's arms as she held me. She pulled me up on her lap and held me close. I wrapped my arms around her neck and sobbed violently. I felt dad wrap his arms around both of us, holding us tightly. He kissed the top of my head and whispered words of love and semi-comfort to me. I fell into a grief-induced sleep in mom's arms, hoping beyond hope that when I woke up the next morning, we'd be ok. All I knew was I couldn't take the pain and loneliness anymore.

_Jack's POV_

I held Jessie and Sam as close to me as I could. After all that she'd been through, after all that _we'd _put her through, she was willing to forgive us. I know I didn't deserve it. I mean, how in the hell did we ignore her for almost two weeks? How did we completely forget about her pain, instead focusing on our own? She was as close to Daniel as we were. As I watched Jessie sleep, my heart was breaking. We'd completely ignored her for almost two weeks and yet, she had come home.

I took her from Sam and laid her back on the bed. She opened her sleepy blue eyes and smiled. "Daddy?"

"It's ok, Sunshine. Go back to sleep," I whispered before kissing her forehead.

"Ok," she said with a yawn. She closed her eyes and slowly drifted of to sleep.

"I know you're awake, Sam," I whispered.

"What have we done, Jack? This is our fault," she whispered tearfully.

"I know," I whispered. "I was just wondering how in the hell we did this."

"And?"

"I got nothin'," I said.

"Me neither," she said softly. I could hear the tears in her voice. I knew this was our fault. She ran away because we ignored her. She was tortured because she ran away. She didn't orb out because she thought dying was the only option she had.

"What're we gonna do?" I asked softly as Jessie snuggled up to me. I held my daughter in my arms as if I were afraid of her disappearing again. In a way, I guess I was.

"Whatever it takes," she whispered back. "I can't lose her, Jack. I can't lose my daughter." With that simple sentence, Sam started to cry.

"You're not gonna lose me, mama," whispered a now awake Jessie. "I'm right here and I'm not going anywhere again."

I let her go and she hesitantly wrapped her arms around Sam. There was the flinching thing again. Sam held her close, both crying. "I'm so sorry, baby. I'm so sorry," said Sam over and over again.

"I know, mama. I know," said Jessie.

I wrapped my arms around them both and held them as tight as I could without hurting Jessie. "We're both sorry, Sunshine. We'll make it up to you…somehow," I whispered tearfully.

"I know, dad," replied Jessie.

"I promise, baby. I promise we'll never hurt you again. We'll never leave you behind again," I said.

* * *

A/N: I know...I know. It's been a while. Too much reading fan fiction and not enough of writing it. :) Feed the beast because there are a few more chapters of this year already finished. Just need to upload them. Thanks for being patient. 


	8. Redemption and Recovery

_Jack's POV_

Three months later, things were back to normal. Well, as normal as things could be for us. We were all so terrified of losing her. How in the hell she kept her sanity during all this was beyond me.

She'd started having nightmares again, but this time, they were in regards to the Asgard. She'd talked to MacKenzie and was starting to heal from the pain we'd put her through. He'd put her on a light anti-depressant and she was getting better. He'd also given her a prescription for sleeping pills. She would only take half a pill when she couldn't sleep. Her nightmares were becoming few and far between. There were several nights when she didn't need to take them at all. She'd be so exhausted from ball practice or exercising, she would fall asleep at her desk while doing her homework. We'd get her into bed and she'd sleep through the night.

Even though we asked (we knew he couldn't tell us anything) MacKenzie wouldn't tell us what she would talk about in her sessions. He told us that she would tell us everything in her own time. All I knew was I was getting my daughter back. She was smiling more (even if it was forced most of the time) and finally laughing again.

We'd gotten back from viewing the glider at Area 51 later than we should have. Jessie stayed with Janet instead of going with us. Well, actually, Janet and Cassie stayed at our house, sleeping in the guest room. We wanted her to, but she said she wasn't ready for "active duty" yet. We let it go, knowing if we pushed, she might rebel and choose not to come back.

Anyway, she was asleep when we got home. Janet said she was exhausted when she'd come in from school. She did her homework, ran four miles, showered, and went to bed. Janet and Cassie left and Sam and I got ready for bed. I wanted to see Jessie. No. I _needed_ to see my daughter. So here I was, 2300 hrs and I sitting beside my daughter and watching her sleep. I reached down and stroked her hair softly. I still couldn't believe that we were the cause of this. I knew it was our fault, but it seemed almost impossible.

"Daddy?" she opened her sleepy blue eyes and smiled slightly.

"It's ok, Sunshine. Go back to sleep," I whispered, kissing her forehead.

"It's gonna be ok, dad. I promise. I'm gonna be ok," she whispered before yawning widely.

"I know you are, honey. You just don't know how sorry we are," I said, tears forming in my eyes. We had hurt her…again. Unintentionally, yes, but we'd hurt her just the same. We ignored her for days until she couldn't take it anymore.

"I do know, dad. Believe me, I know. And I forgive you." She sat up and wrapped her arms around my neck. I wrapped my arms around her waist and held her to me, both of us crying. "It's gonna be ok, daddy. It's gonna be ok." I buried my head in her neck and let my tears flow easily.

Sam came into the room and sat beside us on the bed, wrapping her own arms around us. Her tears blended with ours.

"We're gonna be ok, mama. Somehow, we're gonna be ok," said Jessie. "We're gonna be ok. I promise."

"It wasn't your fault, honey. We should've been more attentive to your own pain. We buried our heads in the sand; focusing on our pain rather than…" Sam trailed off when Jessie began to sob.

"I miss him so much," she cried. "I miss Uncle Danny."

"We do too, baby. We do too," I said, rocking her gently.

We held onto each other until late in the night. Jessie fell asleep in our arms, just as she had many times before.

"She's right, Jack. We're gonna be ok," said Sam, reaching over Jessie and softly running her fingers through my hair.

"Out of the mouths of babes," I said softly. "How did she get so wise?" My daughter had always amazed me. But, the way she spoke earlier, brought to the forefront just how much she'd had to grow up in her short life.

"Everything she's been through has made her what she is today," said Sam. "She's the strongest person I know."

"She's one of the best people I know," I said. "You and she are my life. I couldn't survive without either of you."

"I feel the same way," she said. "My life is meaningless without you and our daughter."

"No, it isn't, mama. You're life isn't meaningless without me," said Jessie, waking for a moment. "You are both needed by so many. I need you. I need you to love me. I need you to be there for me…to hold me when I'm scared. I need you to be who you are…Jack and Sam O'Neill. Soldiers, husband and wife, my parents…" she paused and looked up at us. "My heroes," she whispered.

You could've heard a pin drop in her room. I was in absolute awe of my daughter. After what she'd been through, after what _we'd _put her through, she still forgave us. She still loved us.

"I love you, daddy. I love you, mama," she whispered. We gathered her in our arms again and held her closely.

"I love you, too, Sunshine. So much," I said, choking back a sob.

"So much," echoed Sam, hugging Jessie fiercely. She had her head on my shoulder and her arms around Jessie. I could feel her tears soaking my shirt. I knew mine were soaking Jessie's jersey.

How long we sat there, I couldn't tell you. But, Jessie fell asleep in our arms again. I laid her down again and kissed her forehead gently. "Sweet dreams, Sunshine," I whispered.

"Sweet dreams, baby," whispered Sam, kissing Jessie's cheek, gently pushing her hair out of her eyes.

We covered her up and walked out of her room, leaving her door ajar. It had become habit for us to leave her door open just in case she had a nightmare. With her door cracked, we could get to her as fast as possible.

We undressed and crawled into bed. I pulled Sam into my arms and held her close to me, her head on my chest. "I think she's right, Sam. I think we're going to be ok." I didn't know how I knew, but the tight feeling that had been in my chest since we'd found her, was disappearing.

"I know, Jack. I know _we're_ gonna be ok. But, more importantly, _Jessie's _gonna be ok," she said with a yawn.

"Yeah," I said softly.

Sam wrapped her arm across my abdomen and kissed my chest. I kissed the top of her head and ran my fingers through her hair. "I love you, Sam."

"I love you, too, Jack. And as I said before. You and Jessie are my life."

"Same here," I said. "I know for certain I could _never _survive without you…without either of you."

She looked up at me and ran her fingers through my hair. I pressed my lips to hers and kissed her deeply. "I love you, my wife."

"I love you, too, my husband," she said, kissing me again. I removed her nightclothes and made love to her throughout the night.

_Sam's POV_

I woke up in the arms of my husband. Jessie was finally getting better. The _Zoloft_ was working. She was becoming happy again. She was now getting a lower dosage of meds since she'd been on the drug for almost three months. Dr. MacKenzie was optimistic that gradually lowering her dosage would be easier in the long run, after she was completely off the drug. After last night, I knew we'd be ok. I could smell breakfast cooking downstairs and knew Jessie was awake. Jack was still cuddled against my back.

"I smell sausage," mumbled Jack against my neck.

I smiled. "Me, too," I said, turning over and kissing him good morning.

"Mmmm," he moaned. "Shall we go see what our daughter has cooked for us?"

"Definitely," I said, my stomach growling in agreement.

We dressed in sweats and went downstairs. Jessie was in the kitchen, in front of the stove.

"Morning," she said without turning around. It was strange how we could sense each other without actually seeing each other.

"Morning, Sunshine," said Jack, walking up behind her and hugging her.

"Morning, honey," I said, moving Jack out of the way and hugging her myself. "How'd you sleep?"

"Better than I have in a while," she said, turning around and hugging me back. I could feel her body trembling slightly.

"Hey," I said softly. I stepped back slightly and held her at arms' length. "What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

"For what?" I asked.

"For not trusting you and dad. For running away like I did."

I pulled her into my arms. "What brought this on, honey?"

"I just got to thinking about it while I was making breakfast. I know I'm getting better. But, what if the doctor takes me off the _Zoloft _and things go back to the way they were before?"

"You're the strongest person I know, Sunshine," said Jack. "You will fight this, baby…and you will win." He wrapped his arms around her from behind and kissed the top of her head.

"I don't know if I'm strong enough this time," she whispered against my chest.

"We do. We love you, Jessie. We're gonna help you get through this," I said, holding her tighter. "Believe me, baby. You will beat this."

I held her until I felt her nod against my chest. "I…I need your help," she whispered. "I…I can't do this without you."

I was slightly stunned. That was actually the first time she'd ever directly asked for our help. I looked at Jack over her head and he smiled, tears in his eyes. "We'll do whatever it takes, Sunshine," he said. "We're gonna make sure you beat this."

We held her for a few minutes, until the tension in her small frame receded and she relaxed. Someone's stomach growled and we all chuckled. "Let's eat," said Jack. "I'm starving."

He made Jessie and I sit down while he served us. She'd made sausage, fried eggs, gravy, hashbrowns, and biscuits. We all dug in. I could feel my cholesterol level rising with each bite!

"This is delicious, Jessie," I said. She was a better cook than I was. Hell, she was a better cook than Jack.

"Thanks," she said, picking up some hashbrowns and sticking them in her mouth.

"You gonna cook dinner, too?" asked Jack, spearing another fried egg.

"Sure," she said, laughing at the hopeful sound in his voice. "What're you hungry for?"

I looked at Jack and he grinned. "Whatever you want to cook, Jessie," I said.

"Ok," she said, giving us both a smile. Her first _real _smile in months.

"We've got a week off, Sunshine. Whaddya wanna do?" asked Jack.

"Go to the cabin?" she asked.

"Sounds good to me," I said. "I could use the peace and quiet."

"You and me both, mom," she said, putting her fork down and wiping her mouth. "Dad's snores are keeping me awake again."

She jumped up from the table as Jack sprayed his coffee across the table. I was laughing so hard, I nearly fell out of the chair. He stood and chased her out of the kitchen towards the back door. Catching my breath, I followed.

Jack had Jessie on the couch, tickling her senseless. Her laughter rang throughout the living room, easing the ache that, I thought, had settled in my heart permanently.

"Dad!" she choked out, trying to catch her breath.

"My snores? _My _snores have been keeping you awake?" he asked, continuing to tickle her.

"Yes!" she giggled. She orbed out of his clutches and orbed back in, keeping the couch between herself and Jack.

"That's not fair, Jessie! You can't be orbing out when I'm tickling you."

"It was the only way to get you to stop," she said, still trying to catch her breath.

He sat down in the recliner and, folding his arms, started pouting. "That's not fair."

"All's fair in love and tickling battles," she said, jumping over the couch and sitting down across from Jack. She folded her arms and mimicked her dad's posture.

"I swear," I mumbled.

"What?" she asked.

"You two look so much alike right now, it's scary," I said, sitting down beside Jessie. "Acting like each other, too."

"Whaddya mean?" asked Jack.

"You're both glaring at each other. You're both pouting slightly. And you're both in the same position." I showed them by folding my own arms and slouching.

That was the last thing I could say. After that, Jack and Jessie both tackled me and began tickling me. "Jack! Jessie!" I cried out, trying to get away from my husband and daughter. It wasn't too much longer until they had me on the floor, one on each side. I heard the phone ring.

They finally let me up, Jack going to answer the phone. I helped Jessie get on the couch. "Feeling better, honey?"

"Much," she said with a small giggle.

I wrapped my arms around her and hugged her, ecstatic when she returned my hug. I held her until Jack returned, an irritated look on his face.

"Jack?" I let go of Jessie and stood, walking to him.

"That was George," he said. "We're needed back at the base. He said there's an incoming wormhole and they can't shut it down. It's been on for forty-five minutes."

"Ok," I said. We both looked at Jessie. She was staring at the floor. "Jessie?"

"What?"

"Go get dressed, Sunshine," said Jack. "You're coming with us."

She looked up and smiled. "Really?"

"Yeah, honey. After all, you're part of SG-1," I said. She jumped up and into our waiting arms.

"Thank you," she whispered against Jack's chest.

"For what?" asked Jack.

"For not leaving me here," she said.

"You're welcome," I said, kissing the top of her head.

"Never again," said Jack.

She smiled at him. "Now, go get dressed," I said.

"Yes, ma'am," she said. She ran up the stairs to her room to get ready.

"She really thought we'd leave her behind?" asked Jack softly.

"Guess so," I said, taking his hand and pulling him up the stairs. "It's gonna take a lot longer to get her trust back, Jack."

"I know," he whispered. "I just hate seeing her like this. I hate seeing _us _like this."

I wrapped my arms around my husband and held him close to me. "Like she said last night. We're gonna be ok, Jack," I said softly.

He wrapped his arms around my waist and kissed me gently. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For everything," he said.

I kissed him again. "You're welcome," I said when we broke the kiss.

We got dressed in a hurry, knowing that every second counted. The gate was highly unstable. Once we were dressed, Jack made sure that all of the doors and windows were locked. I know. Strange for him. But, since Jessie came back into our lives, he'd made every effort to make sure the house was secure. A lot of good it did us.

Jessie came downstairs. "I'm ready," she said softly. She had her laptop with her and her I.D. badge. This would be the first time she'd been back to the base (except for her sessions) since she ran away. I could tell she was a little apprehensive about returning to work. But, we needed her genius in order to solve this problem.

I put my arms around her and whispered, "It's ok, honey. It's going to be ok."

"I know," she said with a sigh. "It's just…" She trailed off when Jack walked up.

"Just what, Sunshine?" he asked, putting his arms around her also.

"I know what people are saying," she said.

"What 'who' are saying?" he asked, anger in his voice.

"Nothing," she said softly. "Nobody's saying nothing. Never mind."

"Jessie, talk to us," I said, letting her go.

She walked over to the couch and sat down, pulling her knees to her chest. She rested her chin on top of her knees. "I've heard some people saying that I tried to kill myself. That I went crazy." She paused and looked up at us. "That I'm still crazy," she added just above a whisper. "That I wasn't raped and they were gonna get some."

"Who said this?" demanded Jack. "_Who said this_?"

"Different people," she said as I sat down beside her and slid my arm around her shoulders.

"Such as?"

"I don't know their names," she said. "They were new. I think they came in right before Uncle Daniel died."

"When we get there, I want you to point them out to me," said Jack.

"Why?" she asked.

"Because, I'm going to make sure they're cleaning latrines in Antarctica," said Jack angrily. "Nobody makes remarks like that about my daughter and gets away with it."

"Mom?" I could hear the plea in her voice.

"Jack, listen to me. We'll go to General Hammond and have her point out who they are to _him_. He can take care of it," I said, trying to appease both my daughter and my husband.

"Oh alright," they both said, both pouting.

I laughed. "I swear," I mumbled. "Come on you two. Let's get to the base."

I grabbed Jessie's hand and pulled her up from the couch. "Let's go, little bit."

She growled at me, causing both Jack and I laughed. We got in the truck – Jessie sitting between us – and took off towards the base.

"I'm still scared," she whispered.

"I know, honey," I said softly. "But, it's gonna be ok."

"I know it is. But, for some reason it doesn't make me feel any better," she said. I could hear the tears in her eyes.

I pulled her up on my lap and held her close to me, rocking her slowly. "It's gonna be ok. I promise."

Jack reached over and took her trembling hand in his. "We'll protect you, Sunshine. This time, we won't fail." I could hear the quiet anger in his voice. The anger at himself. The anger at whoever was talking about her.

Although she tried to get back into her seat, I held her all the way to the base. I wasn't willing to let her go. "Mama, I can sit on the seat."

"Nope."

"I'm too heavy," she protested.

"No, you're not," I said. And she wasn't…heavy that is. She'd lost a lot of weight in the time she'd been gone. Hell, she'd lost a lot of weight in the time she'd been home. She hadn't been eating all that much, saying she wasn't that hungry. What she'd eaten this morning, had been the most she'd eaten in a few months.

We got to the base and signed in. They could see something was wrong. They knew the gate was stuck, but couldn't figure out why Jessie was there. After all, she'd already had her last session for the week the day before.

Lt. Brian Thomas walked by and smiled creepily. "Colonel. Major. Jessie," he said. There was just something about him that I didn't like or trust.

"Lieutenant," Jack and I said.

Jessie looked down and didn't say anything. He turned and went down another corridor. I looked at her as we got in the elevator, wrapping my arms around her neck from behind. She was shaking. I knew then. The lieutenant we'd just met, had been one of the airmen talking about her.

"Jessie?" I asked as she leaned back in my embrace.

She didn't say anything, but she nodded. She knew what I was asking.

"Sam?" asked Jack.

"He's one of the people that are talking about her," I said, holding her tighter.

He whipped around and looked at her in shock. "Is that true?"

She nodded. "Yes, sir," she whispered.

As soon as the elevator doors opened, we headed for General Hammond's office. We were both holding her hands and keeping her from orbing out. Jack knocked on the door.

"Come," said General Hammond from inside.

We went in and he was sitting behind the desk, talking on the red phone. "Yes, sir. They're here." He listened. "I'll tell them. You too, sir." He hung up the phone with a smile. He could see the fear and the hurt in Jessie's blue eyes.

"Jessie? What's wrong, honey?" he asked.

"We need to talk, sir," said Jack.

"Have a seat," he said.

We sat down on each side of Jessie, still holding her hands. Even at fourteen, she was still so freaking small to me. "What's going on?" he asked.

"Jessie told us that some people had been talking about her," said Jack.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Do you want us to tell him, Jessie? Or do you want to?" I asked.

"I will," she said softly. She looked down. "They've been saying I'm crazy, Grandpa George," whispered Jessie. "That I tried to kill myself. That…that I wasn't raped before. They said I spread my legs willingly and they were gonna get some." She hadn't told us that. I could hear Jack suck in a surprised breath.

"Who said this?" We could hear the anger in General Hammond's voice. He thought of Jessie as a granddaughter. "I want their names and ranks."

"I don't know who they are," she said. "I've never send them before." I saw a tear slide down her face. I reached over and wiped it away with my thumb.

"Lt. Thomas is one of them," I said.

"What?!"

"He was the one who said that he was gonna get some," whispered Jessie, tears in her voice.

"Are you sure? These are some very serious accusations," said General Hammond.

"He's been here long enough for me to recognize his voice," she said softly, not looking at anyone.

I began rubbing the back of her neck. I could feel the tension inside her body as she tried to control her emotions.

"I'll take care of it," he said. "Now, we have another problem."

"The gate," I said.

"Yeah," he said. "We've got a problem with the gate."

The next few days were some of the longest of my life. Rodney McKay showed up and it was the last thing I wanted…he was the last person I wanted to see. I was in the control room when he came in. Jessie was working on a program to try and shut down the gate.

"Still as sexy as ever, I see," he said. I rolled my eyes and turned around.

"What are you doing here?"

"Well, there's no point in building Naquadah reactors for Russia if there isn't going to be a Russia, is there? The Pentagon thought you, uh, might need some help." Smug bastard.

"Not from you," I said.

"Well, how about getting something to eat with me in the cafeteria?" I could hear the hopeful note in his voice.

"Mom?" asked Jessie, stretching her back and yawning.

"It's ok, sweetheart. You ready to go back to your quarters?" I could tell she was tired. She'd been working non-stop since we got back to the base. I put my hands on her shoulders and kissed the top of her head.

She leaned back in my arms. "Yeah," she said softly. "I'm kinda tired," she added, laying her head back on my stomach. I kissed the top of her head again before resting my own chin on top of her head.

"Mom?" asked McKay. "Why's she calling you 'mom'?"

"Because she's my daughter. Jessie, this is Dr. Rodney McKay. McKay, my daughter, Jessie."

"Nice to meet you," said Jessie, yawning again.

"Umm…likewise," said McKay. "I didn't know you had a kid."

"Yeah," I said. I began slowly massaging her shoulders. It didn't take long until she fell asleep in the seat with me rubbing her shoulders.

McKay was still talking, but I wasn't listening. Jessie was exhausted and I was contacting Jack to come get her.

_(Jack?)_

_(Yeah, babe?)_

_(Where are you?)_

_(On my way to the control center)_

_(Good. Jessie's exhausted and needs to sleep…in her bed, not sitting up like she is)_

_(On my way)_

At that moment, Jack walked in the door. "McKay," he said.

"Colonel O'Neill," said McKay. "I was just trying to talk Major Carter into joining me in the mess hall for lunch."

Jessie opened her eyes. "Dad, where'd you come from?" she asked sleepily.

He leaned over and kissed her forehead. "Just talking to Grandpa George. Let's get you to bed," he said, picking her up. She wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her head in his shoulder and went back to sleep. He smiled before kissing my cheek.

"He…he…_he's _her father?" stammered McKay.

I chuckled at the look on his face. "Yes, he is."

"If you are finished hitting on my wife, we need to get our daughter back in bed," said Jack.

"W…wi…wife?"

"Yes, McKay. Jack is my husband," I said.

"But…but…"

We turned and walked out of the room and towards our quarters. Unfortunately, McKay followed us. I opened the door and Jack carried Jessie in. He laid her on the bed and took her shoes off.

"What's going on?" asked McKay loudly, waking up Jessie. "Why wasn't I told you were married?"

"Daddy?" asked Jessie sleepily.

"It's ok, Sunshine," said Jack. "Go back to sleep." He sat beside her and, when she rolled over on her stomach, he gently rubbed her back, putting her back to sleep.

"What do you want?" I asked, turning to McKay.

"When did you get married?" he asked.

"Two years ago," I said, sitting beside Jessie and stroking her hair gently.

"Now, back off," growled Jack. "And get out of my daughter's quarters."

"But…but…but," he stammered.

"Out, McKay," he said. "Otherwise, I'm gonna throw you out."

He turned around and walked out of Jessie's quarters. I let out a sigh, mixed with relief and irritation at the man that was a pain in my ass.

"Thank you, Jack."

"That guy is such and idiot," said Jack.

"I know. I…" I trailed off as an idea to stop the gate came to me. I quickly outlined my idea to Jack.

_My POV_

A few days later, we were packing up the SGC. The gate had been destroyed when dad flew the glider. For a minute or two, we thought we'd lost him too. But, he was fine and he came home.

I was still having nightmares, not as many, but they were still there. The meds were helping, but I was still scared of what was going to happen if they took me off of them. I wanted to go back to school, but I didn't know how I'd react to being around all those people again. Mom and dad were great. They were trying to help me get through my depression without pushing. Landon was on Thor's ship, but we'd talk every day through a communication crystal given to me by Thor.

Speaking of Thor, that little gray dude still scared me. Even after all the help he'd given me, I was still scared of him. I guess it was because I was still scared of being taken from mom and dad by the Asgard. It wasn't his fault, but hell, they all looked alike!

That Dr. McKay was really starting to get on my nerves. He was testing me the whole time he was here! Mom told him that my IQ was higher than his and he flipped. He said no kid was going to beat him out of a spot at the SGC. General Hammond told him that, in no uncertain terms, I was part of SG-1 and he never would be. He offered him a position with SG-15, but he didn't like that too much. General Hammond had him transferred back to Russia. I pitied the Russians at that time. The man was so freaking egotistical that it was a wonder his head could fit through the hanger door.

The men who'd been talking about me were all demoted and transferred. I didn't understand until mom and dad explained it to me. They were, in actuality, harassing me. Sexual harassment was forbidden and, because I was still a minor, carried a heavy sentence. No prison time, but they would be scrubbing toilets in Alaska for a long time.

I was sitting on my bed, wondering what was going to happen to me. I knew mom and dad could have any posting they wanted. But me? I didn't know what I was going to do.

_(Jessie?)_

I was startled out of my thoughts by dad.

_(Yeah dad?)_

_(Come to the control room)_

_(Yes, sir)_

I laid my bear on the bed and left my room, possibly for the last time. I went to the control room and saw that mom and dad were already there. "What's up?" I asked.

Dad wrapped his arms around me and pulled me against him. "Go ahead," said Walter. "They're all here."

"General Hammond," said Teal'c.

"Teal'c!" we all said.

"O'Neill! It is good to hear you are well. The weapon being used by Anubis has been destroyed, but we feared it was too late for the Tauri," said Teal'c.

"Yeah, it was close there for a minute," said dad.

"We approach in a cargo ship. Request permission to land."

"NORAD's aware of their approach, Sir," said Walter.

"Permission granted. Welcome back, Teal'c!" said General Hammond.

Dad let me go and leaned over the mic. "Good job!"

"It is, in fact, Rya'c, who deserves the honor," said Teal'c. I could hear the pride in his voice.

I went back to my room after we found out we'd been given the Russian's gate. I wasn't really sure I wanted to know what we'd given up to get it. I knew I'd eventually find out, but I wasn't as anxious as mom or dad.

I just wanted to spend some time with Rya'c. I hadn't seen him in a long time and I'd missed him. I knew his mother had died and I knew he probably didn't want to talk about it. But, I just wanted him to know that I was there for him.

Dad had finally agreed to let Jonas on SG-1. I really didn't want him there, but there was nothing I could do about it. It seemed he was trying to replace Daniel and that was _never _going to happen.

_(Jessie?)_

_(Yeah?)_

_(Come to the commissary. Rya'c wants to see you)_

_(Tell him I'm on my way)_

I stood and went to meet Rya'c. I was walking towards the commissary and suddenly felt dizzy. I shook it off and continued to the commissary. I was thirsty…really thirsty. I'd started drinking a lot of water…I mean a lot. At school, I'd go through three or four bottles in a two hour period. The school nurse wanted me to be tested for diabetes. She knew that my pancreas had been removed when dad's ex-wife had thrown me out of the car. I'd forgotten all about her telling me to get tested. It was right after that incident that Daniel got sick.

I stopped and hit the bathroom. Drinking so much made me want to pee all the time. I did my business and washed my hands. I made it to the door when I was dizzy again. I couldn't shake it off this time and passed out.

_(Daddy!)_

_Jack's POV_

We were sitting in the commissary waiting on Jessie to join us. Rya'c was getting restless. He really wanted to see his best friend.

"She's on her way," I said, after communicating with her.

"Ok," said Rya'c, picking at a piece of cake.

I smiled at Sam. Although it had been a while since we'd seen Rya'c, he and Jessie were still the best of friends. They would trade letters through the gate whenever Teal'c would go see his family. Every once in a while, George would authorize Jessie to used the gate to dial Chulak so she could throw her letter through. Whoever was on the other side would know to give the letter to Rya'c.

_(Daddy!)_

I jumped at the fear in Jessie's voice. I could tell Sam was shaken, too.

_(Jessie?)_

No answer.

_(Jessie!)_

Still no answer. I was starting to panic. Something was wrong. The last time she didn't answer our thoughts was when she was unconscious.

"Something's wrong with Jessie," said Sam, running out the door with me following quickly. We found her two corridors away, passed out cold in the hallway. She was breathing but her pulse was erratic.

I picked her up and took off for the infirmary. "Janet!" yelled Sam as we entered.

"What?" said Janet, exiting her office. "Put her down, Jack," she said.

I laid her on the bed and said, "We found her passed out in the hallway."

Janet pushed him out of the way and began drawing blood. I guess it was the needle prick that brought her around. Jessie opened her eyes with a groan.

"Wha…what happened?" she asked.

"We found you passed out cold in front of the locker room," said Sam, squeezing her hand gently.

She moaned again, this time from embarrassment. "I think I know what's wrong," she mumbled.

"What is it, honey?" I asked.

"Remember when they removed my pancreas?" she asked sleepily.

"Yeah," I said, not wanting to remember the incident that caused it.

"Well…" she trailed off.

"You're diabetic," said Janet. "Why didn't I think about that?" she said smacking herself in the forehead. She looked hard at Jessie. "When did you first notice the symptoms?"

Jessie mumbled something. "What?" asked Sam.

"A few of months ago," she said softly.

"Why didn't you say something?" asked Sam.

"I was going to," she said, still in that same soft voice. By this time, she was looking down and wouldn't look back up.

"But?" I asked.

"But, Uncle Daniel got sick," she said softly, her voice thick with tears. "That was why healing him made me so sick. I was already sick and that…"

"That just made it worse," said Sam softly.

Jessie nodded. "And then you…"

"We wouldn't come see you," I said. I took Jessie in my arms and held her close to me, my heart breaking all over again for the way we'd treated Jessie.

"Yeah," she said, sobbing into my chest. "At that point, I figured it didn't matter."

I held her close to me and rocked her slowly, trying to calm my rapidly beating heart. I couldn't breathe anymore. We'd almost lost her. I didn't know what to say. I didn't know how to make this better. I wanted to make it all go away, but I didn't know how.

Sam crawled onto the bed beside us and wrapped her arms around us both.

"Just be here, daddy. Just be here for me," whispered Jessie. She'd caught my errant thoughts without me even realizing it. "I'll be ok."

A couple of days later, Janet let Jessie go home. She showed her how to inject herself with insulin and told her to watch what she ate. Landon tried to heal her, but was unsuccessful. We didn't know why and it made him depressed as well as Jessie. We didn't blame either one of them. Jessie tried to heal herself, but was also unsuccessful.

We were worried about her exercising so much. But, according to Janet, her active lifestyle was actually good in controlling her diabetes. She gave Jessie a diet to follow and so we, that is Sam and I, decided to use it too. She couldn't have any more soda or cake (at least not on a regular basis). She could eat her vegetables normally and tea, but she had to resort to drinking non-sweetened. We'd called the school and told them the situation. Jessie would be allowed to carry one needle and one vial of insulin with her to school. When she felt weak and tired, she would be allowed to eat an orange or a drink orange juice.

We thought about contacting Thor, but Jessie vetoed that immediately. She said she would just deal with the diabetes and that we shouldn't be bothering the Asgard with that. She was still skittish around them anyway. That caused a slight argument with us at home a few days after she was released from the infirmary.

"Jessie, they can probably cure you with no problems," I said.

"I know, but I don't want them working on me," she said.

"Why honey?" asked Sam.

"Because," she said softly. "I don't wanna be a lab rat again." She was shivering when Sam put her arms around her.

She held her gently. "Promise me, mama. Please don't let them take me again," she begged.

Sam looked at me and I could see the tears in her eyes. Even though I wanted Jessie healthy, I wasn't willing to risk her sanity for it. I knew that by sending for the Asgard, it would be just one more blow to Jessie's psyche.

I nodded at Sam and took Jessie's hand. "We promise, Sunshine," I said, kissing her fingers.

She looked up at me and smiled through her tears. "Thank you, dad," she whispered.

"You're welcome, Sunshine," I said, kissing the top of her head where it rested on Sam's shoulder.

"I know I can control it," she said softly. "I just need a little time to get used to giving myself shots every day."

"I know, honey," said Sam, also kissing the top of her head.

"Now, I'll really be a pin cushion," she said with a giggle. She was back. She was going to be fine. That one giggle made the both of us laugh. I hugged her fiercely and handed her off to Sam who did the same.

Her stomach grumbled and she blushed. "Hungry?"

"Yes, sir," she said, rubbing her belly.

"Well," I began, standing up and holding out my hand for her to take. I pulled her up and said, "How about Chinese?"

She nodded. "Sounds good, but are you sure it's safe for me to eat?"

"As long as there's not too much sugar, you should be fine," said Sam, throwing her arm around Jessie.

"So…no sweet and sour?" I could hear the disappointment in her voice.

"Sorry," I said grinning at her.

"This sucks," she said. She loved sweet and sour chicken. "I guess I can get it without the sauce." Sam and I both laughed at the look of disgust on her face.

"Let's go," I said, taking Sam's hand.

We left the house and headed for the restaurant. Jessie was in a good mood, even though she couldn't eat her sweet and sour sauce. She was planning on going back to school the next day. She was still apprehensive about being around a lot of people. Thankfully, Landon was back and he was going to be picking her up the next day.

* * *

AN: I know it's a little short, but I promise I'm working on the next chapter. Thank you to all of you who have stuck by me on this story.


	9. Prometheus

_My POV_

It was hectic at the SGC. People were coming and going quickly, but no one would tell me what was going on. I'd had another memory dream. Well, actually, it was a repeat of one I'd had a couple of years before. I woke up scared to death and unable to find mom or dad. Finally, I cornered Dad in the briefing room. Grandpa George and Uncle Teal'c were there.

"Dad!"

"Jessie, you shouldn't be here," he said. "You need to get Landon and go home."

"What's going on?" I asked, fearful of his answer. I was shivering already.

"It's just a slight hitch," he said, pulling me into his arms. I probed his mind. _Sam._

"Where is she?" I demanded. "Where's my mom?" I tried contacting her, but she wasn't answering me.

"She's on the _Prometheus_," he said. "They're releasing Simmons and the Goa'uld that he had taken."

My world collapsed. My premonition had come true. I hit my knees, trying to catch my breath. I couldn't breathe. Dad knelt beside me and held me close.

"No, no, no, no, no!" I screamed.

"Shhh, Sunshine. We're gonna get her back," said Dad.

I kept shaking my head. My chest hurt so much. I couldn't breathe. My mom was in danger. I could feel it. Once Simmons got her, then he would try to get me. I realized what I had to do. But, I knew Dad wasn't going to let me.

"I'll go," I whispered tearfully.

"What?"

"I'll go. I know he wants me. If he has me, he'll let mom go," I said against his chest as he ran his fingers through my hair.

"No!" he said. "Your mom has Jonas with her. She'll be fine. Teal'c and I are on our way there now." He cupped my face between his hands. "I'll get her back, Sunshine. I promise."

"I'm scared, daddy," I whispered. "I want my mom." I started to cry harder.

He hugged me tight. "I know, baby. So am I. But, I promise you. We _will _get her back," he said, kissing the top of my head.

I was so messed up that I couldn't stop crying. I didn't even realize that dad had already left. I knew something bad was going to happen, but I couldn't tell what.

_Jack's POV_

I hated leaving Jessie behind. Although she was a part of SG-1, she was also – more importantly – my daughter. I wasn't going to let Simmons anywhere close to her. I had a feeling that, before this mission was complete, I was going to kill him. Not just for shooting me and taking Sam. No. He was a dead man for what he'd done to my daughter. He'd shot her, zatted her, and scared her. Because of him, Jessie lived in a constant state of fear. Oh yeah. I was going to get my revenge.

_(Daddy?) _Luckily, I wasn't driving and could concentrate on Jessie.

_(I'm here, Sunshine)_

_(I'm scared)_

_(I know, baby. I know)_

_(I wanna go with you)_

I shook my head, not even thinking about the fact that she couldn't see me. _(Not this time, honey. I'm gonna get your mom and we're coming home)_

_(No, you won't. Something bad's gonna happen. I can feel it)_

_(Jessie…)_

_(Please, daddy. Please come back) _I could hear her tears through her thoughts.

I couldn't stand hearing her beg like that. The pain in my chest was overpowering. I was close to giving in when I thought about Simmons again. That right there, stopped me from turning around and going back to my daughter.

_(Honey, I wish I could, but, I can't. I don't want you anywhere near Simmons)_

_(But…)_

_(No, Jessie. That's my final word on it. Sunshine, I love you and I just wanna keep you safe)_

I didn't get a reply to that.

_(Jessie?) _Still no answer. I sighed deeply. _(Honey, I'll get your mom and we'll be home tomorrow)_

I waited a few seconds for her to respond, but didn't get anything.

_(I love you, honey)_

_(I love you, too, daddy)_

It was just a whisper in my mind, but it was enough to lighten the burden on my heart.

We arrived at the site and I went into command mode. I jumped all over Paul Davis. I knew it wasn't his fault. But, it was _my _wife who had been taken. It was _my _wife whose life was in danger.

_Sam's POV_

I knew there was something wrong the minute we stepped onto the _Prometheus_. I couldn't put my finger on it, but I could feel something was wrong…something was going to happen. Jessie's name popped into my head.

_(Jessie?)_

I didn't get an answer. Why didn't I get an answer from her?

_(Sam?)_

_(Jack? What's going on? I can't hear Jessie)_

_(Simmons and Adrian Conrad are being released. The camera crew is part of Maybourne's old unit. As for Jessie…I think Janet sedated her)_

_(Why would Janet sedate her? What's wrong, Jack?)_

_(She was…umm…upset with me for leaving her behind at the base)_

_(She wanted to come? Even though she knew it had something to do with Simmons?)_

_(Yeah)_

I felt the _Prometheus _leave the ground and enter space.

_(Where are you?)_

_(With Teal'c. We're flying in through the cargo bay)_

_(Be safe, Jack)_

_(I love you, Sam)_

_(I love you too, Jack)_

I escaped from where I'd been hiding, only to get captured again. One of the crew was getting ready to zat me when from nowhere, he was zatted.

Jack came around the corner and I jumped into his arms. He kissed me hard before grabbing my face in his hands.

"Are you ok?" He looked over my body to make sure I wasn't injured.

"I'm fine. I'm not injured," I said, touching his face gently, easing the worry lines from his forehead.

"Let's get this show on the road and get home," he said, kissing me one more time. We felt the hyperdrive engage and were suddenly no longer in earth's orbit.

We went to the engine room. It was empty.

"Clear...can you shut down that hyperdrive?" asked Jack.

I shook my head after looking at the computer. "The computer's been reprogrammed. I don't have the access codes."

He gritted his teeth. "All right, let's find the others."

To make a long story short, we found them. Adrian Conrad was dead and Simmons was missing. He'd been taken over by the Goa'uld that had been in Adrian Conrad. Jack finally got his revenge by pushing him out of the airlock.

There was just one problem. I didn't know where we were. Since I didn't know where we were, I couldn't plot a course for home.

We were just kind of drifting when as Asgard ship appeared.

Jack leaned forward when Thor appeared. "Thor, buddy! Nice timing!"

"It has been some time, O'Neill. I owe you all a debt of gratitude for rescuing me from my Goa'uld captors."

"Ahh…" said Jack, waving off the sentiment. "Hey, I thought you were going for the new body."

Thor looked at him. "I did."

Jack's eyes got big and I was trying not to laugh at the expression on his face. "It's nice," he said.

I figured I would rescue my husband. "So, how did you find us?"

"The Asgard monitor all hyperspace activity in the vicinity of Earth. We have been tracking you since you left orbit," said the diminutive alien.

"Excellent! Can you help us out here?"

"In fact, it is we who need your help. The Asgard homeworld has been overrun by the Replicators. We have need of both you and your ship."

_Jack's POV_

I should've said no. I should've just let Thor have the ship and send us home. But, he'd saved us more than once. We agreed to help. At least we were able to tell Jessie that we were safe. She still wanted to come with us, but Thor told her that he needed her to stay on Earth. I knew there would be hell to pay when we got back. After all, we'd promised her that we'd never leave her behind again. And the first thing we do is leave her behind…not once, but twice. I could only hope that she would forgive me…us.

After the pain we'd gone through with the human-form Replicators, we needed a vacation. Sam was angry with me for leaving Fifth behind. But, he wasn't human. He was a Replicator and she knew it. Even though he seemed remorseful for what they were doing to us, he was still nothing more than a machine.

I think I'd finally convinced her of that by the time we got to Earth. The only thing on my mind by this time was Jessie. I could feel her pain from space and wanted nothing more than to hold my daughter. I looked over at Sam and knew she was thinking the same thing.

"Sam?"

"I'm worried about Jessie," she said softly. "Something's wrong."

"I get the same feeling. I just don't know what's going on. She won't answer me when I call for her."

She put her head on my shoulder and I wrapped my arms around her. "She won't answer me either," she whispered.

"She's probably mad that we left her on Earth rather than let her go with us," I said.

"That's an understatement, Jack," she said with a snort. "We promised her that we'd never leave her behind again."

"I know, honey. I know," I said.

We were given permission to enter Earth's orbit and made our way home. Thor appeared, thanked us for our help, and beamed us to SGC.

"I take it you were successful," said General Hammond.

"Yes, sir," I said.

"The time-dilation device went off as we left orbit," said Sam. "The human-form Replicators were trapped inside."

"Good job, SG-1," he said. "Now, infirmary and then home to rest."

"Yes, sir," said Sam as she began walking towards the door. "Sir?" she stopped and turned around.

"Hmmm?"

"Jessie isn't here, is she?"

I saw a look of sadness flash through his eyes quickly before it was gone. "No, Sam. She's not here."

"Then…" I began, but he cut me off.

"Talk to Janet," he said. "She'll explain."

We left albeit reluctantly and headed for the infirmary. Teal'c and Jonas had already been checked out and had left for their respective quarters.

Janet was waiting with her needles. She gave us our physicals and cleared us to go home. She wouldn't answer any of our questions while we were being examined.

"Ok, you two are free to go," she said.

"Doc, what's going on? Where's Jessie? I thought she would be here when we got back," I said.

"Sir, she's at home. She said she wasn't going to come in," said Janet.

"She knew we were coming home," said Sam.

"She didn't…" Janet trailed off.

"She's angry at us, isn't she?" I asked.

"Pissed is more like it," said Janet. "She hasn't been back here since you left to go get Sam."

"Why?" I asked.

"She's pissed, yes. But, that's not the only reason," she said. "Guys, she passed out in school. They called me because you were 'out of the country'. She was unconscious for three days. When she came too, she immediately went home."

"You said she's at home. Our home or your home?" I asked.

"Yours. Landon was staying with her but Thor called him away three days ago," said Janet. "Cassie's with her now."

I nodded my thanks and grabbed Sam's hand. "Let's go," I said.

We made it home in record time, the thought of our daughter being hurt and angry spurring us on. It was close to 2000 hrs when we finally got in. The house was dark and it didn't look like anyone was home.

I opened the door and we went inside. Cassie was watching a movie on TV, but Jessie was no where to be found.

"Cassie?"

"You're back!" She jumped off the couch and hugged us both.

"Cassie, where's Jessie?" asked Sam.

"I don't know," she shrugged. "I think she's in her room."

"You don't know?" I asked, anger rising quickly.

"She went in there a couple of hours ago. Said she was going to bed," she said, shrugging her shoulders again.

We ran up the stairs to Jessie's room. It was unlocked. I opened the door slowly, just in case she was asleep. She wasn't even there.

"Jessie?" I asked, looking in her bathroom. She wasn't there. Her bed looked as if it hadn't been slept in for days.

"Jack," said Sam, coming up behind me.

"What? She's not here, Sam. Where could she be?" I was starting to panic.

"She's in our bed," she said softly.

I ran from the room, across the hall, and into our room. Sure enough, Jessie was curled up around her bear, in the middle of our bed. In the dim light, I could see the tear tracks on her face.

We changed into our night clothes and crawled into bed. Sam wrapped her arms around Jessie and held her closely. She opened her eyes.

"Mama?" she said sleepily.

"I'm here, honey. So is dad," said Sam.

"We're sorry, Sunshine. We're sorry for leaving you behind," I said softly, reaching for her.

She came willingly into my arms and buried her head in my chest. "I was so scared, dad. I was scared you wouldn't come back. It hurt so much."

"I know, baby. I know," I whispered, as Sam began rubbing her back soothingly.

"No, you don't. You don't understand. I felt everything you went through," she whispered, pushing away from me and running out of the room.

I looked at Sam and saw she was staring at me in horror and confusion. I knew the look was mirrored on my face. We quickly followed Jessie to her room. She was curled up in the middle of her bed and shaking uncontrollably.

I laid down behind her and pulled her closely. "What do you mean, Sunshine?" I whispered as I rocked her slowly.

"When the Replicators had you, I felt it when they entered your mind," she whispered. "I screamed and screamed, but no one could hear me."

Her body slowly relaxed as Sam crawled into the bed and I pulled her close to us. "I passed out at school from the pain. Aunt Janet said I was unconscious for three days. When I came too, I remembered what had happened. I came home and ever since then, I've been sleeping in your bed."

She looked up at Sam. "It was the only way I could feel you without hurting," she sobbed.

Sam pulled her from my arms and into hers. Jessie curled into a ball against Sam and cried harder than she had in a while. I looked at Sam over Jessie's head and saw tears in her eyes. I could feel the tears gathering in my own eyes as I thought about what Jessie had gone through while we were away on a freaking mission.

I buried my head in Jessie's hair and cried for what had happed to her…and to us. Long minutes later, I realized that she and Sam had fallen asleep. Our bed was bigger than hers, so I gently picked her up and took her to our room. I laid her on my bed and went back for Sam.

"Sam…Sam, baby wake up," I said softly, gently shaking her shoulder.

She opened her eyes slowly. She quickly realized Jessie wasn't there. "Jessie!"

"Shhh…she's in our room. Come on, let's go to bed," I whispered, helping her stand. I took her hand and led her to our room. She crawled in bed with Jessie and, pulling her back into her arms, promptly fell asleep.

I went downstairs to turn off the TV which was still playing. Cassie was still sitting on the couch eating popcorn. I reached for the remote and turned off the TV.

"Hey! I was watching that!" she exclaimed.

"It's time for bed, Cassie. Jessie's been sick and she needs her rest," I said. "You can take the guest bedroom if you don't wanna drive back home."

There was something in her eyes…something not normal. "I guess I'll leave then. I know when I'm not wanted."

"Cassie…we do want you here. But, we're all tired and, like I said, Jessie's been sick. She's been through hell these last few days." I ran my hand over my face. "We've all been through hell these last few days."

"I'm sorry, Uncle Jack. I'm just cranky. Been up since 4:30. Had finals today," she said sweetly. I narrowed my eyes. Something wasn't right here, but I couldn't put my finger on it.

I hugged her. "You gonna stay?"

"Nah. I think I'll head on home and sleep in my own bed tonight," she said. She hugged me back and left.

I shook my head. Something wasn't right. But, at that moment, I was so exhausted, I couldn't think straight. I went back up stairs and crawled into bed. I wrapped my arms around Sam, who had her arms wrapped around Jessie. I fell asleep with my family in my arms, dreaming of the day we didn't have to fight.

* * *

A/N: I know. I know. It's been a long time. Over a year since I last updated. I'm just now getting back to my stories after a year of ups and downs. Please review me.


	10. Falling into the Abyss

Disclaimer: Not mine. Will never be mine. No matter how much beg, cry, plead...etc. So, on with the show.

* * *

_My POV_

It seemed as if my life was one big joke. Just when everything would be going great, something would happen that made me feel like I was losing my mind. For some odd reason, the problems normally had to do with dad. He disappeared with Colonel Maybourne for a month. We got him back, but not before Maybourne shot him. Then mom and dad were taken by Nirrti. We were all thankful that I was sick that day. Nirrti was pissed. She still wanted me for a host. Instead, she took my mom. I think it was because mom had been a host to Jolinar, therefore she already had the naquadah in her body. She was experimented on, but was healed.

In this case, it was dad. We went to Antarctica to a research station because the researchers had found what they thought might have been an Ancient. They were right. I could feel her presence as soon as I stepped into the room.

It was weird…seeing someone from so long ago. Then they brought her back. Apparently, she was just in some kind of stasis. Teal'c and I were the only ones who didn't get sick. I guess for me it was because I was part Ancient. She healed everyone except for Dad before she died. I tried to heal him, but it wouldn't work. I knew he was going to die and there was nothing I could do about it. It hurt so much. And to top it off, Landon was once again off some where with Thor.

Mom and I talked Dad into taking a symbiote. I know that he wouldn't have taken one if it had been just him. He took it for me and mom. The symbiote's name was Kanan. He was Tok'ra. He was supposed to be one of the good guys. A few weeks later, we still hadn't heard from them and I was starting to get scared.

Finally, the Tok'ra admitted they didn't know where he was. He walked from the base and just took off. I knew something was up. I knew dad wouldn't leave me and mom behind. Something was going on and it was the damned symbiote's fault.

I walked in to hear this:

"Perhaps it was that repugnance of blending with another mind that caused O'Neill to behave so irrationally." That pissed me off. The Tok'ra, Thoran, didn't know my dad. He didn't know that dad had done it for me and mom.

"General, I can't speculate on Colonel O'Neill's state of mind, but while a mature symbiote can take control of the host body whenever it wants to, it doesn't work both ways," said Aunt Janet. They hadn't spotted me yet.

Mom took a deep breath. "I can vouch for that, sir. There's no way Jack could have walked out on his own."

"Then he was forced to do so, against his will, by the symbiote," said Uncle Teal'c.

"You accuse an honored Tok'ra of behaving as a Goa'uld," said Thoran angrily.

"Councilor..." Grandpa George was trying to diffuse a tense situation, but the bastard cut him off.

"Kanan has fought the Goa'uld longer than any of you have lived. Yet you spit the word symbiote as though you spoke of vermin. Whatever you think of our form, Kanan was as a brother to me. The Tok'ra council accepts that Kanan may be lost to us."

"That's the big difference between us, Councilor. We don't leave our people behind."

I walked up to the Tok'ra. "You'd better be thankful to whatever god you believe in that my dad's alive. I would know if he were dead. And he's not," I said, poking the Tok'ra in the chest. "I don't know where he is, but he's still alive."

I should've kept my mouth shut. At that point, I lost all feeling in my legs. "Mama," I gasped, seconds before I passed out.

_Sam's POV_

I was so proud of Jessie. Standing up to the Tok'ra took a lot of courage and she had it.

"Mama," she gasped. Her face lost all color and she fainted. Teal'c caught her before she hit the floor.

"Jessie!" I cried out, reaching for my daughter.

"Get her to the infirmary," ordered Janet. Teal'c picked her up and carried her out.

I followed the man carrying my daughter as we ran through the halls. I didn't know how much more I could take. My husband was missing and my daughter was unconscious.

Teal'c laid Jessie down on the infirmary bed and stepped away as Janet took his place. Janet began working on Jessie, trying to find out why she'd passed out.

She had just drawn blood when Jessie's eyes opened.

"Jessie? I'm here, honey," I said, taking Jessie's hand. I could see the fear in her eyes. "What's wrong? Talk to me, baby."

She had a vacant look in her eyes. She opened her mouth to say something, but instead a scream erupted from her mouth.

"Daddy!!!!"

She arched away from the bed before losing consciousness again. But, this time, she stopped breathing and her heart stopped beating.

"Jessie!" I screamed at my daughter. Janet pushed me out of the way and started CPR. It wasn't working. Finally, her heart started beating again, but she still wasn't breathing. Janet hooked her up to the machines again.

I sat by her bed until General Hammond ordered me to rest. I wouldn't leave my daughter's side. Janet rolled in another bed and forced me to rest. For several days, I slept next to Jessie. She would awaken briefly, but then she would scream and pass out again. I think it was the tenth day that I dreamed about Jack. When I awoke, I knew where he was.

We rescued him from Ba'al and brought him home. Janet said he would go through withdrawal from the sarcophagus. Jessie had regained consciousness just as we walked back through the gate with Jack.

She ran right to him, throwing her arms around him. "Daddy!"

He was weak, but he held on to her tightly. "I'm home, honey. I'm ok," he whispered to our crying daughter. We got him to the infirmary and into a bed.

For a few days, he was restless. Snapping at anyone and everyone, including Jessie. I knew it hurt her. But, there was nothing I could do.

_My POV_

On the third day dad was home, I went to see him. He was lying on the bed, staring at the TV.

"Dad?"

He turned angry brown eyes towards me. "What do _you _want?" he sneered.

I was taken aback at the anger in his voice…the hatred. "I…I just wanted to see how you were doing," I said softly, trying to calm my breathing. I knew that getting angry and upset wouldn't help the situation any.

"How in the hell do you think I'm doing?" he roared. "I did something I said I'd never do because of _you_. I took a fucking snake because of _you_. I was tortured because of _you_."

I could feel my heart breaking. "Daddy, please," I begged. The tears were streaming down my face by this time.

He got quiet. "Ya know. I never wanted kids after Charlie died. I knew the first time I saw you that you'd be nothing but trouble." He glared at me in anger. "We should've walked away and let you die in the MALP room."

My head kept telling me that it was the withdrawal talking, not dad. But, my heart broke in a thousand pieces at the words coming from my dad's mouth.

"Get the fuck out of my sight!" he yelled.

I turned and blindly ran out of the infirmary. I headed for my quarters where I could be alone. Mom was already there putting my clean clothes away.

"Jessie? Baby, what happened? Is it your dad? Did something happen to your dad?" she asked, wrapping her arms around me.

"He hates me!" I screamed. "He hates me!"

"No, baby," she whispered, rocking me gently. "He loves you. It's just the withdrawal talking."

"He blames me," I cried. "He said he…" I trailed off. I couldn't get enough air.

"What, honey? What did he say?"

"He said that you should've let me die in the MALP room," I whispered tearfully.

I could hear her gasp. "Honey, you know he didn't mean it. He's just going through a rough time right now. Daniel said some horrible things to me when he was going through withdrawal."

I pushed away from her. "I know!" I screamed. "I felt _every fucking thing _that was done to him!"

She froze, fear on her face. "What?" She reached for me.

"I felt it every time the knife hit him. I felt every fucking drop of acid. I felt it as if it were happening to me!" I screamed. I pushed away from her and ran into my room. I didn't leave for three days. I stayed until I couldn't take it anymore.

_Sam's POV_

I knew Jessie was hurting. There was nothing I could do. She wouldn't let me in. She wouldn't talk to me. She wouldn't see anyone. Landon was still with Thor, and we couldn't contact them. For three days, she didn't come out of her quarters. For three days, I was torn between protecting my daughter and taking care of my husband.

I went to see Jack. He'd lost consciousness again. Even after three days, I still couldn't believe he would say those things, even going through withdrawal. Janet came out of her office.

"Sam?"

"I need to see the video tape from three days ago," I said.

"Jessie still not talking?"

"No," I said. "I don't know what to do Jan."

"Watch the tape and decide how to proceed," she said.

She brought me the tape and I took it to my lab. I was in tears by the end of the tape. It was short – maybe ten minutes or so. But, it was heartbreaking. I knew it would destroy Jack to see it. I had a choice. I could destroy the tape and save my husband from his guilt. Or I could make him watch the tape and hopefully, he and Jessie would heal.

I knew in my heart that Jessie would eventually forgive Jack. But, I didn't know if Jack would ever forgive himself. I straightened up, grabbed the tape, and headed back for the infirmary to find my husband awake. He was talking softly to Teal'c.

"Jack?" I whispered.

"Hey, baby," he smiled sleepily. I leaned over and gave him a kiss. "You taste good," he whispered, causing me to blush slightly.

I backed up and ran my fingers through his hair. He smiled again and then his eyes narrowed in confusion.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

He looked around silently. "Where's Jessie? I thought she'd be here when her old man got back," he said.

"O'Neill. Do you not know what day it is?" asked Teal'c.

"Yeah," he said hesitantly. "It's Friday. You brought me back this morning."

"Jack, it's Thursday," I whispered. "You've been going through withdrawal since Friday afternoon." I didn't remember Daniel losing time like this.

His eyes widened. "Where's Jessie?" he asked again. "I didn't hurt anyone did I?"

"No, honey. You didn't hurt anyone," I said.

"Then why isn't Jessie here?" I could hear the sadness in his voice. He wanted his daughter. "I want my daughter here," he said softly. "I _need _her here. I _need _her."

"She's locked herself in her quarters, Jack. She won't come out for anything or anyone."

"What did I do to her?" he asked.

I took a deep breath. I held out the video tape. "Watch the surveillance, Jack."

"What did I do to her?" he repeated. "I didn't hurt her, did I? Please, Sam. Tell me I didn't hurt her."

I touched his face. "You didn't physically hurt her, Jack."

"But…" I could see the wheels turning in his mind.

"Just watch it…please, Jack."

Ten minutes later, my husband was in tears. "She hates me now," he cried. "God! You should've let me die!" I knew he'd be heartbroken when he viewed the tape. I was unprepared for his despair. I wrapped my arms around him and held him as he let out the anguish that he felt.

When his tears had slowed, I opened my mouth to say something…anything. But, before I could get a sound out, Janet came running into the infirmary with someone on a stretcher.

"Janet?" I asked. I knew there were no teams offworld, so it could have been Siler. Looking at Janet's face, I knew it wasn't Siler.

"You two need to leave," she ordered.

Jack and I stumbled our way towards her. _No. No. No. NO! _My daughter was lying on that cot, pale and still. I couldn't even see her chest rising with breath.

"Janet!" I screamed as Teal'c pulled me out of the room. He headed back in and dragged Jack out. We both collapsed against the wall, tears streaming down our faces.

Several minutes later – I'm not really sure how long – Janet came out. Jack was curled up on the floor, his head in my lap. He was still weak.

"Janet?"

"She's alive," she said sadly.

"What…what happened to her?" asked Jack, sitting up and wiping his eyes.

"Siler found her unconscious outside her quarters." She reached into her pocket and handed Jack a note. "This was found clutched in her hand."

"Can we see her?" I asked.

"Not yet. Come with me to my office," she said. "I'll tell you what I found."

Unsteadily, we got to our feet and followed Janet to her office. Teal'c was standing outside Jessie's room, keeping guard.

"Teal'c?"

"I shall remain here," he said.

I nodded and took Jack's hand, leading him into Janet's office. He collapsed in a chair.

"What's wrong with her, Janet?"

"We had to pump her stomach. There was enough Valium and Demerol to kill her."

"What?"

"She OD'd, Sam. We lost her twice, but were just able to get her back."

Jack opened the note that had been in Janet's hand.

_Jack's POV_

My hands were shaking as I started to read.

_Dear Dad,_

_Mom said it was only the withdrawal that was making you act the way you were. My head believes that. My heart doesn't. I've always felt worthless, even after you guys found me. I wasn't wanted anywhere. You gave me hope. But, now, even that's gone. I don't belong anywhere. You were right. You should've let me die in the M.A.L.P. room. I just wanted you to know that I felt everything thing that happened to you. That was my punishment for trying to save you. Every time he used acid, I felt it. Every time he used the knife, I felt it. Please don't try to save me. Just let me go this time. It's my punishment for making you do something you never wanted to do. I can't live with the fact that you took that symbiote because of me. It's my fault you were captured. It's my fault you were tortured and killed over and over again. It's all my fault. I love you, daddy. Please forgive me._

_Love,_

_Jessie_

I couldn't breathe. I couldn't get the oxygen I needed. I stumbled out of Janet's office and, pushing Teal'c out of the way (not an easy feat), made my way into Jessie's room. She'd tried to kill herself. She blamed herself for me taking the symbiote. She blamed herself for me being captured and tortured.

I collapsed on the floor by her bed. Teal'c picked me up and put me in a chair. I took Jessie's hand in mine and cried like I hadn't cried in a long time.

"Please don't leave me, baby. Please open your eyes. I'm so sorry for what I said. I didn't mean it." I kept repeating that. "I didn't mean it. I didn't mean it."

I was still weak from my _ordeal_. I held her hand and fell asleep. When I awoke, I was in the bed with her. Somehow, Teal'c had moved me into another, larger bed. Jessie was placed between me and Sam. She was so still that I thought she'd died. But, as I slowly became more and more aware of my surroundings, I could make out her shallow breathing and the slow, steady sound of the heart monitor.

I pulled her closer and fell back asleep.

_Sam's POV_

_Two weeks later_

I didn't know how much more our family could take. Every time something good happened to us, something bad was not far behind. Jack was suffering because of Jessie's coma. Jessie was suffering because of Jack's actions. I was suffering because I couldn't stand watching my husband and my daughter suffer. It almost seemed as though she didn't want to wake up and was keeping herself locked inside.

I left to take a shower, leaving Jack holding Jessie's hand, talking to her softly. Letting the hot water run over my body, I cried. I cried for the pain Jack was in. I cried for the coma Jessie was in. I cried because I couldn't take much more of the hurt.

Once I had let out all the tears I thought I could cry, I shut off the water and dried myself off. I returned to the infirmary to a sight that made my heart pound.

Jack was asleep in the chair; his head on the bed. Jessie was sitting up, running her fingers through Jack's hair. Her eyes were bright and alert. The movement of her fingers through Jack's hair was shaky, but there.

"Jessie?" I whispered.

She stilled her movements and looked up at me. I could see the tears in her eyes from the doorway.

"Mama?"

The sound of her voice was the sweetest sound I'd ever heard. It caused Jack to jerk awake and sit up.

"Jessie?" he whispered. She reached for his hand, but he backed off. I could see the hurt in her eyes. "Am I dreaming again?"

"No, daddy. You're not dreaming," she said softly.

"Baby, I'm so sorry," he said as I walked over to them. "Please forgive me. Please, baby. I'll do anything you want. I didn't mean it. I _swear_ I didn't mean it."

"I'm sorry, too, dad," she said.

"It's not your fault," he said. "I should've been stronger. I should've been able to resist the…"

"Nobody could, dad. No one is strong enough to resist the withdrawal," she said, reaching for him again.

This time, he crawled up on the bed and pulled our daughter into his arms. "I'm so sorry," he mumbled through his tears.

"I forgive you, daddy," she whispered against his chest. "I forgive you."

She blindly reached for me and I crawled onto the bed with both of them. I wrapped my arms around her from behind and the three of us cried together. Jessie didn't know what would have happened if she had succeeded in killing herself. She didn't know that Jack would've killed himself, if only to be with her. That is something I will _never _tell her. I can't. Not if I want to keep my sanity.

* * *

A/N: I know. I know. Believe me. I know. It's been a while. Bad writers block + loss of job + loss of income = very bad end of year. But, now I have a new job and I'm getting back into the swing of things. Let me know what you think. I've already got Chapter 11 written out and I just have to tweak it a little.


	11. Coming Full Circle

A/N: Wow! Has it really been that long since I last updated? Let's see. Four years. 3 new jobs. Lost my mother, brother, and sister - all within 2 months of each other (My sister - August 25. My mother - October 17. My brother - October 20. All in 2011). Miss them all very much. Moved twice. Been a hell of a long four years. Literally felt like hell sometimes. Anyway, I got out of writing anything...poems, short stories, fan fiction...all of it. But, I'm back. Hopefully, I'll at least be able to finish the stories I started. If anyone is still reading this, thanks for sticking with me.

Not mine. Will never be mine. Otherwise, Sam and Jack would've had a real on-screen wedding. Now, on with the story.

Coming Full Circle

_My POV_

I was getting ready for bed, thinking about that morning's briefing. Uncle Daniel had appeared to Dad, in the elevator of all places. Something about the _Eye of Ra_. We were going to go to Abydos and see Skarra. I was hoping that we could stop on Chulak first and visit Rya'c, but Dad said we needed to get to Abydos as quickly as possible. But, that wasn't the only reason we were going. We were going to try to find the _Eye of Ra_. But, to me, seeing Skarra was more important.

"Dad?" I asked as I crawled into bed.

"Hmmm?"

"Did you really see Uncle Daniel in the elevator?" I asked as I pulled the comforter up over my body.

"Yeah," said Jack.

It kind of sucked. Dad saw him. Mom saw him. Teal'c and Aunt Janet saw him. Why didn't he show himself to me?

"So we're going to Abydos?"

"Yep."

"Skarra?"

"He'll be there."

"Who will be where?" asked Mom, coming into the room.

"Skarra will be on Abydos waiting to see Jessie," said Dad, tucking the covers around me.

"Yes, he will be," said Mom. "He specifically asked your dad if you were coming. He said there was someone he wanted you to meet."

"Is Landon going?" I asked, trying to fight the yawn.

"Actually, he's already there. Grandpa George asked him if wanted to come along. SG-15 is going offworld also, but they agreed to let Landon come with us," said Dad. "He's waiting for you."

"Sweet," I murmured, giving in to the need to yawn.

They laughed. "Are you warm enough?" asked Mom, sitting beside me on the bed.

"Yes, ma'am," I said, closing my eyes.

"Get some sleep, Sunshine," said Dad. "We've got a long day ahead of us." He leaned over Mom and kissed my forehead.

Mom leaned over and did the same. "Goodnight, honey. I love you," she whispered.

"I love you too, Mama," I whispered, slowly losing my will to stay awake.

"Night, Sunshine," said Dad. "I love you."

"I love you too, Daddy," I said, finally giving in to the need to sleep.

_Jack's POV_

I could see in Jessie's eyes that she was hurt that Daniel hadn't shown himself to her. But, there was nothing I could do to ease her pain. Only Daniel could do that.

We waited until she was completely asleep before leaving her room. I left the door cracked; just in case she had nightmares. If she did, we could get to her quickly.

We showered, made love in the shower, showered again, and went to bed. We both knew that, in the morning, things were going to be changing. Whether they were changing for the good or for the bad, I didn't know.

We woke up the next morning and headed for the base. Jessie sat in the back seat, listening to her iPod and playing _The Sims _on her laptop. Jessie hadn't eaten much the night before, so we drove through _Burger King _and got some breakfast.

Jessie shut down her laptop just as we arrived at the base. "You ok, honey?"

"Yes, sir. Just anxious to see Landon and Skarra," she said blushing slightly. Even after all this time, seeing Landon would make her blush. She considered Skarra and Rya'c her brothers. They picked on her like Connor and Caleb.

We signed in and got ready. "Did you forget something?" asked Dad.

"Yeah," she said sheepishly. She mumbled something that we couldn't quite make out.

"What was that?" I asked turning around and letting her jump on my back. "What'd you forget?"

"My bear," she mumbled against my back.

I chuckled. She thought it was embarrassing that she was fifteen years old and still slept with a teddy bear. It helped her keep the nightmares away.

"Orb it," I said.

"But…" she began.

"But, what, honey?" asked Sam.

"People will see it," she said. I could tell she was embarrassed. I could feel the heat from her blush.

"Orb it to me, honey and I'll stick it in your pack," said Sam.

"AF bear to mom," she mumbled. A slight glow and the bear appeared in Sam's hands. She quickly stuffed it in Jessie's pack.

"Better?" I asked.

"Yes, sir," she whispered. "Thanks, Dad."

"You're welcome," I said softly.

We made it to the gateroom as Teal'c and Jonas showed up. I let Jessie down and turned to them. "We ready?"

They nodded. I turned to the window. "SG-1 ready to head out, sir."

"SG-1, you have a go. Good luck and God speed," said General Hammond. We waited until the gate activated and walked through.

Skarra met us on the other side. Jessie ran out from behind us and straight into his arms. "Skarra!"

"Jessie!" cried Skarra. "It is good to see you, my sister." He hugged her fiercely and spun her around.

"You, too, my brother," said Jessie returning Skarra's firm hug. I thought the grin would split her face in two!

"Jessie?"

We had seen Landon walk up behind them while Jessie was in Skarra's arms. The look on his face was anything but friendly. He was jealous. Insanely jealous, from the look in his eyes.

Jessie let go of Skarra and launched herself into Landon's arms. "Landon!" She kissed him hard. The kiss caused me and Sam to blush furiously. It didn't look like it was going to end any time soon.

I cleared my throat. "Ok, you two. Break it up," I growled. They ignored me. "Jessica Caitlin O'Neill! Landon Keegan Sheppard! Break it up!"

They jumped apart at the sound of my voice calling their full names. "Dad! You didn't have to use my full name!"

"You weren't paying attention," I said petulantly. I started laughing at the look on her face. "If you get any redder, you're gonna explode."

"Shut up," she growled lowly and glared at me.

The rest of us, including Landon, laughed. He laughed until she elbowed him in the stomach. "That means you, too. He said your full name, too."

Landon blushed and wrapped his arms around her from behind. "I'm sorry, baby," he whispered.

"Now," I said, clapping my hands together. "Skarra!" I pulled Skarra into a hug.

"It is good to see you," he said.

"You, too," said Sam also giving him a hug.

Jonas held out his hand. "I'm Jonas," he said.

"Good to meet you," said Skarra.

Tobay spoke up. "We are prepared to whatever you ask."

"Appreciate that," I said. "Teal'c set up a perimeter. I want to know the second we have company."

He nodded and left the pyramid. I turned to Skarra. "Any idea where this _Eye _thing is?"

"I will show you," he said.

We walked around for a while before I asked the question that had been on my mind. "So, you seeing anybody?"

"Maybe," he said with a grin.

"Really?" I asked. "Is it serious?"

"We are betrothed," said Skarra.

"Trust me. That's serious. Congratulations," I said with pride.

"Thank you," he said. "I want her to meet Jessie…and you. I want her to meet my family."

"I assume our invitation got lost in the mail, or…" I said.

Skarra huffed. "I wanted to ask you to sha'loki. To stand beside me."

"Just…during the ceremony, right?" I asked, grinning like a confused fool. Which, in a way, I was.

"Yes…yes," he said smiling.

I patted him on the shoulder. "I'd be honored."

We were still looking for the _Eye_ when Teal'c's voice came over the radio.

"O'Neill. We are under attack! Ground forces have landed. We will not be able to hold them off for long!"

"Roger that. You heard the man," I said.

Jonas spoke up. "I don't know what to tell you. I mean, if Dr. Jackson was here…"

I was angry. I couldn't even send Jessie back through the gate at this point. "Oh, he's here. Trust me. He's here." I looked around. "Son of a bitch. Hey! Where are you? We're only doing this because of you."

Daniel appeared. "Jack, it's here," he said.

Sam looked at him. "Daniel!"

"Sam, Jonas, Jessie, Landon," he said.

"Dr. Jackson," said Jonas.

Jessie just looked at him. "Why?"

"Why what?" he asked.

"Why didn't you come see _me_?" she asked softly. She looked up at him. "You came to everyone but me."

"I…" he trailed off. "They wouldn't let me help you."

"I don't care!" she cried out. "I needed your help! I cried for you!" Landon wrapped his arms around her and held her closely. She buried her head in his chest and cried.

Daniel looked helpless. I knew he wanted to say something, but the room started shaking.

"You hear that?'

"I can't do anything about that, you know," he said, still looking at Jessie.

I was still angry. "I don't care. Do something or we walk. Right now," I ordered.

"Remember that fine line we were talking about?" he asked, finally tearing his eyes from Jessie.

"Cross it!" I ordered.

From then on out, he helped us. But, it didn't matter. We were outnumbered. There was nothing that could really be done for us.

_Sam's POV_

Skarra is dead and Daniel is gone again. Jessie tried to heal Skarra, but something was stopping her. Just like Daniel, he ascended. Landon carried an emotionally exhausted Jessie back through the gate.

We went back, leaving Jessie with Landon. She cried the entire time. When we got back to the planet, everything was still there. But, it wasn't real. Anubis had killed everyone and nothing was left standing. We said goodbye to Skarra and he said he was going to be keeping an eye on Jessie.

We got back to the SGC and told General Hammond what had happened on Abydos. But, my first thought was to get to my daughter.

"General, where's Jessie?" asked Jack.

"She's in her quarters with Landon," he said. "She's pretty distraught over losing Skarra."

"He was like her brother," I said softly.

"I understand," he said. "You're dismissed. Infirmary first and then Jessie," he said. "I will call Landon and let him know that you're back."

"Thank you, sir," we both said and left for the infirmary.

Once Janet checked us out and said we were fit, we showered, and then went to find Jessie. We heard the crying coming from inside her quarters.

"Why? Why couldn't I heal him?" she screamed. "Now, they're gonna hate me again! I couldn't save Uncle Daniel and look what happened. Skarra was like a son to my Dad!"

"Shh, baby. They don't hate you. Something kept you from saving his life. He knew you tried. _They _know you tried," said Landon calmly.

We opened her door and saw them on her couch. Landon was holding her on his lap, rocking her back and forth like Jack or I did when she was upset.

"Jessie," I said softly. She looked up and we both gasped at the pain on her face.

Landon stood and kissed her softly. "I'll be outside if you need me," he said.

He shut the door behind him as Jack and I sat down beside our daughter. She curled up, trying to get away from us, trying not to touch us. Jack wrapped his arms around her and pulled her onto his lap.

"Please don't hate me. Please, daddy. Please don't hate me for this," she begged, grabbing his shirt and holding on to him tightly.

"We don't hate you, honey," he whispered. "We could _never _hate you."

"But, it was _Skarra_," she said brokenly, burying her head in Jack's chest, soaking his shirt with her tears.

"I know, honey. I'll miss him, too," said Jack. "I'll always miss him. But, it wasn't your fault. Oma Desala kept you from healing him."

"What?" she asked through her tears. "Why? She had to have known how much we needed him."

"She helped them all to ascend, honey," I said softly, stroking her hair.

"Why?" she asked again.

"I don't know, Sunshine. But," he stopped and cupped her chin, making her look at him. "Skarra told me to tell you he was going to be your guardian angel, so to speak."

"Really?"

"Yes, ma'am. He said he's gonna be keeping an eye on you."

"Why does this always happen?"

"What?"

"I get close to someone and they leave me," she whispered. "I'm bad luck."

"Hey," I said. "Look at me, honey." She did. "We're still here. Your dad and I are still here. Landon is still here. And, from that kiss earlier, I'd say he's not planning on going anywhere."

That did it. She blushed furiously. "Mommmm!"

"What?" I asked as I began to tickle her.

"Quit it!" She squirmed, trying to get away from me and her dad, who had joined the ticklefest. "Dad! Quit it!"

We finally let her go and she was breathing heavily. "You ok, now?" I asked softly.

"Not really, but I will be," she whispered, sitting back down between us.

I wrapped my arms around her and kissed the top of her head. "You need to stop blaming yourself for every little thing that happens."

She tensed a little. "I know, but…"

"No buts," said Jack. "You can't control everything that happens. This was the Goa'uld's fault…not yours."

She curled up in Jack's lap and laid her head on his shoulder. "I just wish I could change this. I wish Skarra was here."

A bright light filled the room. "I am here, Jessie."

We looked up and Skarra was standing there looking healthy. "Sk…Sk…Skarra?" she stuttered.

"I'm here, senet," he said, holding his arms out for her.

She jumped off of Jack's lap and ran to him. Throwing her arms around his waist, she cried. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry," she said over and over again.

"For what?"

"For not being able to save you," she hiccupped.

He pushed her back and held her arms. "Look at me, senet." She shook her head. He cupped her chin and made her look at him. "It was not your fault. This was my destiny."

"It's not fair! You were getting married! I was gonna get a niece or nephew!"

"Maybe someday, I will be able to descend. But, until then, I will be content looking after you from above," he said softly.

He pulled her back to him and held her close for a few minutes. Jack and I wrapped our arms around them, trying to hold Skarra to us. But, it wasn't meant to be.

"It is time," he said softly.

"Just a little longer," begged Jessie. "Please don't leave me."

"I will always be here," he said, placing his hand over her heart. He looked at us and smiled. "Ana baħibbik."

"Ana uħibbu", whispered Jessie. I was going to have to ask her what it meant.

Then, like he came, he was gone in a flash of light. Jessie turned to Jack and he wrapped his arms around her. A few minutes later, she pulled away and sat on the bed with a smile.

"Jessie?"

"Hmmm?"

"What did he say to you?" I asked.

"He said 'I love you' in Egyptian," she said softly.

"What does 'senet' mean?" asked Jack.

"Sister," she said with a huge smile. "He called me 'sister'."

I sat down on one side of her and Jack sat on the other. "You gonna be okay, Sunshine?" he asked.

"I will be…eventually. I'll just talk to him like I do Charlie," she said glancing at Jack. "Maybe this time, I'll get an actual answer…instead of sounding like I'm a crazy person." He grinned and pulled her into his arms again.

"That's my Sunshine," he said, kissing the top of her head.

Landon orbed in. "Thor is calling," he said. "I'll be back in a little bit."

She gave him a hug and kiss and let him leave. She sat down on her bed and pouted.

"What's wrong?" I asked, sitting beside her.

"It just feels like every time something happens, and I need Landon here with me, Thor – or some other freaking Asguard – needs him too!" She punched her pillow. "It sucks!"

"I know, honey," I said. It does seem that way, though."

"I'm hungry," said Jack. "I'm thinking pie."

"Daaad!" whined Jessie.

"What?" asked Jack. "I'm hungry."

"I guess we need to feed the beast," she said, laughing at her dad. That's what he was going for anyway.

"Beast? BEAST?" he roared. "I'll show you beast." With that, he began a ticklefest.

"Daaaaaaad!" she squealed, trying to get away from him. "STOP!"

"Nope!"

"Please!"

"Not until you apologize! And no orbing out!"

She tried to escape. She tried to stop giggling. Nothing worked.

"Dad! Please! I have to pee!"

He stopped and let her up. She ran to the bathroom to do what she needed to do.

"Thanks, Jack," I said, kissing my husband.

"For what?" he asked.

"Getting her to smile. Making her laugh, even though her heart is breaking."

He gave me that little half smile that made me fall in love with him. "You're welcome."

Jessie came out of her bathroom. "Pizza?"

"Yeah, sure, you betcha," said Jack. I just rolled my eyes.

"Food!" cried Jessie.

She still had a sad look in her eyes, but the sparkle was coming back. I couldn't resist and pulled her into a hug. "I love you, honey."

"I love you too, mama," she said, returning my hug.

"Let's move out," said Jack.

"Love you, daddy," said Jessie.

"That's what I was waiting on," he said. "Group hug!" Between the two of us, we could barely see Jessie.

"You're squishing me!" she cried out, laughing the whole time.

With one more firm squeeze, we let her go. "Sheesh," she said as she grabbed her purse.

She dodged Jack's swat. "Should we get Teal'c and Jonas?" she asked.

"Nah," said Jack. "Just us tonight."

She got a really big smile on her face at that. "Really?"

"Yep. Me, my wife, and my daughter," he said, taking my hand. "Just us."

"Sweet!"

At that proclamation, we left the mountain for dinner and then home. We never dreamed that, within the next few days, our lives would be changed forever.

5


End file.
